Chance on Love
by Danny'sGirlSG1
Summary: They don't have time not to take a chance on love. Part II of the 'Chance' Collection. DV
1. So It Begins

**Chance on Love**

**by Pip**

**Summary: They don't have time not to take a chance on love. **

**A/N: So here it is - the series that follows my fic 'She Didn't Have Time.' There are no actual spoilers for the canon series since it is completely AU, except for the fact that it helps if you know the characters because their canon storylines do tie into their AU counterparts in a lot of ways. Oh, and you have to read 'She Didn't Have Time' to understand what is going on here.**

**I want to thank everyone again who reviewed that story because it was ya'll's enthusiam to see the story continue that helped get this rolling! **

**Also must thank my lovely beta, Tara! -higgles!- She has been my sounding board for all the ideas you will see in this series, as well as the contributor of the most amazing title of this series! I truly would not be able to do this without her! This series is most definitely dedicated to you, Mi Jack Amor! -mwah!-**

**And now on to the fic!**

**--------**

**So It Begins**

Only a very faint, thin line of orange peeked out over the tops of the shopping center buildings, the rest of the sky fading from deep purple to black, as Vala and Daniel emerged from the coffee shop.

"Oh wow, I didn't realize it was so late." Vala looked at the clock on her phone, finally noticing how many missed calls and voicemails she had. "Carolyn is probably having a heart attack by now."

Daniel looked at her as they began to make their way to her car. "I didn't keep you from anything important, did I?"

Her grey eyes found his blue, and she offered him a reassuring gaze. "Oh, no." Vala shook her head. "It's not that. I just told Carolyn I'd call her, and well..." She smiled in a way she hadn't in a very long time.

His smile was shy and sweet. "Yeah..." Vala could see the faint blush creep up his neck as he scanned the horizon. "Where did the day go?"

"In several cups of coffee." She laughed, then playfully smacked his arm.

"Hey!" He laughed, stepping away from her with a pout. Daniel rubbed at the spot she'd hit. "What was that for?"

Vala tried to glare, but found his pout was too cute. "For not letting me pay for all that said coffee." She walked ahead a short way, feigning indignation. "I believe that was my one stipulation for joining you."

Daniel took a few long strides to join her as they finally reached her Jeep Liberty. He stuck one hand in his pocket, the other still firmly holding the tattered book. Vala turned to face him, resting back against the vehicle. He was giving her a warm smile.

"Either way, I'm really glad you did join me." His tone was sincere. It made Vala's heart flutter just a little. "I had a great time talking with you, Vala."

She nodded. "Me too."

Daniel's gaze dropped to the ground, and he bounced in place a little. "I...I know this seems a little sudden..." He shook his head and looked up at the horizon. "I...I don't normally do this. Actually, I don't do this ever. It's not that I don't attract...God," He laughed in a self-depricating way. "This isn't coming out right."

"It's coming out just fine." Vala offered a reassuring smile. His awkwardness touched her in a way that was unexplainable.

His smile in response was shaky. "I would very much like to see you again, Vala. I understand if that seems like too much. I mean you have a daughter to worry about and work, and you probably aren't looking for anything-"

Vala brought up a hand and placed it against his lips. Daniel looked at her with slight surprise. She softened her smile.

"I'd like to see you again too, Daniel." The relief that flooded his blue eyes washed over her in waves. She dropped her hand.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

Daniel straightened his shoulders a little. "Would tomorrow night be okay? We could have dinner or something."

"No." Vala blurted.

His face fell considerably. "Oh...okay..."

Realizing how she'd come off, Vala shook her head and held up her hand. "No, no. Sorry. I didn't mean it that way." She felt her face flush. "It's just Carolyn and Cam are having a barbeque tomorrow, and after today's little disappearing act I've pulled - Actually, I really need to call her soon - I doubt I'll be able to get out of it."

"Oh." Daniel said again, his eyes perking up a little bit. "Right. I forgot people have lives."

She laughed. "Well, they basically ARE my life. They're like my family. And their barbeques are actually something to look forward to." Her grey eyes lit up with a sudden idea. "Hey, why don't you join us tomorrow?" Vala held out her hand to him as if it was a physical offering.

Daniel shook his head and held up his free hand. "Oh no, I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Trust me, you won't be intruding. Nearly the entire neighborhood shows up." Vala grinned as she remembered past barbeques. "We've even closed off the entire street for some of them." Daniel's eyebrows rose a little, but Vala could still see he was hesitant about the offer. She put a little pleading into her tone. "There's good food, and always good drink, and fun. And it's entertaining to watch the stunts Cam and his friends try and pull after they've had a few. It's so much fun, Daniel. Please, come!"

He shrugged, but shook his head again. "I don't know..."

"I would love for you to be there." Vala offered quietly. "And would love for you to meet Hayden." She offered in an even quieter voice.

Daniel looked at her for a moment, then gave a half smile that Vala found completely adorable. "Okay."

Vala smiled. "Yeah?" At Daniel's nod, her smile turned into a bright grin. "Great!" She pulled her phone out of her pocket where she'd placed it, ignored all the missed calls and voicemails and went straight to the new number section. "What's your number?"

Mimicking her action, Daniel gave her his number then entered hers into his phone. "So...?" He said after they had traded numbers.

Vala moved to climb into the car, smiling as Daniel held the door open for her and then closed it as she got in. She rolled the window down and he leaned his arms in the now open space. "So why don't you call me tomorrow and I'll give you directions?"

"If that's what you want to do." Daniel offered, not wanting to seem too eager.

Her grey eyes looked at him, and she smiled. "I think it really is."

**A/N: And so it begins! (If you can guess specifically where I got the title of this chapter from, then you'll just love the titles as we get further into the story! LOL! I like having a theme for my chapter titles, if you couldn't tell from my other series!). Ya'll know I'm a hardcore Dala shipper, so it's very hard for me to keep it at just the normal 'they just met and have to date first' pace. I seriously want you to let me know if you think their relationship is moving way too fast at any time in the story (whether it be from this chapter or down the road in later chapters!). **

**And ofcourse, any suggestions or ideas are ALWAYS WELCOME AND APPRECIATED! So, that said, get to reviewing! You know how much I LVOE them! **


	2. Whom I Will

**Whom I Will**

Carolyn flung the front door to her house open before Vala even had a chance to pull into the driveway all the way.

"Where the HELL have you been?!" She cried, anger replacing the fear she'd been suffering with most of the day.

Vala slammed the door closed, walking up to her friend with a casual stride. "It's nice to see you too." She grinned, tapping a finger against Carolyn's nose before stepping in the house.

Mouth agape, it took a moment for Carolyn to follow. "That's all you have to say? You told me you'd call me back HOURS ago, Vala. I called you, and called you, and left like a bazillion phone messages, and still nothing. I thought something HAPPENED to you!" She trailed behind Vala as the slightly taller woman moved into the kitchen and retrieved a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Something DID happen." Vala laughed, almost unbelievably. She popped the cork on the bottle of red wine, and poured a generous amount into each glass. Turning, she handed one off to Carolyn who was watching expectantly. "Well, you know I had that flat tire?"

Carolyn nodded impatiently, leaning against the edge of the kitchen table. "Yeah, the one you were gonna get fixed and CALL ME afterwards."

Sipping her wine, Vala nodded. "Yep, that's the one." She grinned as her friend rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Well, apparently the world was against me today. I couldn't seem to find anyone in that damn parking lot to help me."

"I told you I could have called Cam to come and help you."

Vala leaned over a little to look out into the living room. "You mean that Cam?" She indicated with her wine glass to the man sprawled out lazily across the rug in front of the tv, his soft snoring drifting above the movie their children was watching.

Carolyn sighed, turning her gaze to her husband. "Yeah, that Cam. I had to go pick his ass up from pulling that tree after he'd been out in the sun for too long and had too many beers. And he's gonna do it all over again tomorrow at the barbeque. Sometimes, I swear I have three children instead of two." She turned back to Vala, who was smiling. "Anyway, back to why you DIDN'T let your BEST FRIEND know you were okay."

"Yes." Vala sipped her wine again. "There I was, cursing the entire human race and..." She paused dramatically.

Carolyn shook her free hand at Vala. "AND?!"

"I found someone." Vala offered timidly, letting her words signifying more than just in terms of someone to fix her tire. Carolyn seemed to get the hint as her eyes widened. She pushed off the table and stepped up close to her friend.

"Are you serious?" She whispered conspiratorially. At Vala's hesitant nod, Carolyn took a deep drink from her glass. "And you're sure that this is the one you've been looking for? Or rather NOT looking for?"

Vala laughed, then nodded again. "I don't know, actually. But I saw him, and I talked to him all afternoon, and there's just something about him." At Carolyn's skeptical look, Vala stomped her foot. "Oh, come on Carolyn! You're the one always getting on me about finding someone new!" She moved away from her friend, pouring more wine as she did. "Well, I didn't need to find this one." Vala turned back to look at Carolyn, who still looked unconvinced. "He found me."

"In a parking lot, Vala!" Carolyn had been hoping for this moment to come for a while, but never had she expected for Vala to find her next love, and that's what it was cause she could see it in her young friend's grey eyes already, while fixing a flat tire. It seemed all too - abrupt. "When I said you needed to find someone new, I didn't mean like this. I meant through dating and time and a long, thorough thought process. You don't know who this guy could be!"

Agitation built up in Vala's chest. "You didn't even SEE him, meet him or talk to him, Carolyn!" She began pacing. "He's so sweet and kind. He didn't even want to accept payment for helping me." Vala held out her hand for emphasis. "And he's cute...Handsome even!" She sighed, wanting to cry over it all. Her mind was telling her this was way too fast. Her best friend was telling her this wasn't right even before hearing about the man. But her heart refused to budge on the subject. "We sat and talked and drank coffee all afternoon, and it was GREAT to be able to just BE ME again."

"That's the thing, hunny." Carolyn could see her friend was getting upset over it, and she didn't want that. "You aren't just YOU anymore. You have Hayden. Did you even think about that? Did you even tell him you are a mother?"

"Of course I thought about Hayden!" Vala's voice rose a little. "I KNOW it's not just me anymore. And YES, I told him about her. Though I didn't have to. He saw the carseat while he was fixing the tire, and asked me about it. I told him, and he told me he loves kids. That he has a godson named Charlie, and that he just loves him!" She drew in a deep breath and fixed her friend with a significant look. "He asked if Hayden had my eyes, and if she did she was the luckiest girl because he'd never seen more beautiful eyes his entire life."

Carolyn really couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Vala..." She sighed.

"He asked to see me again - asked me out to dinner tomorrow night." Vala replied in a defiant tone.

Brown eyes met grey. "Tell me you told him you'd need some time to think on it at least because I doubt you just said no."

Vala smiled smugly. "I did say no actually." She drained her glass, watching as Carolyn relaxed a bit at the admission. "Then I invited him to the barbeque tomorrow."

"Vala!" Carolyn squeaked, fixing her with an unbelieving stare. "You just met the man today! And you want to bring him to your house, meet your daughter, when you don't know more than a few hours worth of coffee shop talk about him? This is NOT what I meant when..." She trailed off, blinking. "This is the same reckless behavior that led you to be a mother at 20!"

Heels clicking on the tile floor, Vala stepped up close to her friend. Her anger over the words was evident in the way she practically slammed her glass down on the counter.

"If having Hayden was the price I had to pay for that reckless behavior, I would do it over again in a heartbeat." Her voice was dead calm even as the tears stung in her eyes. She was so desperately wishing for the overwhelming contentment she'd felt not even a few hours earlier. "And if this so called reckless behavior gives me the possibility of the life you've been so wonderfully blessed with, then I'll take it. Because I don't know what I wouldn't give to just have to go pick my husband up, and have him pass out drunk in my living room. To have someone there to be a father to Hayden, and have that warm body lay next to mine every night."

Vala moved away from Carolyn, and snatched up her keys from the kitchen table where she'd tossed them when she'd first come in. "I thought you, as my closest friend, would understand that."

"I do, Vala." Carolyn pleaded, feeling guilty as Vala moved into the living room. She watched as her friend carefully lifted her sleeping daughter into her arms. "But I don't want you rushing into something so soon. I want you to completely trust it, him, first. I don't want to see you get hurt again."

Stopping at the door, her face fighting to stay calm, Vala looked back at Carolyn with slight betrayal. "I trust this, Carolyn. I trust this, and as rushed and reckless as it sounds, I know I can trust him. I can feel it. I can trust Daniel - that's his name, if you're curious at all. Daniel Jackson, who is on his way to getting a doctorate in archaeology. I could see it in his beautiful blue eyes - the fact that he wants this as much as I do. I'm just really upset that you can't trust ME enough to know better."

"Vala..." Carolyn whispered as her friend started for her car.

"I'll call you tomorrow." Vala mumbled as she opened the rear passenger door to place Hayden in her seat. After she got her situated, she moved to get in the car herself. "Give you heads up before I bring my new stranger friend anywhere near your children."

Before Carolyn had a chance to say anything else, Vala had slammed the door and was out of the driveway.

**A/N: It was only natural for Carolyn to react that way, was it not? This chapter helped me keep the 'good relationship pace' in line. LoL. I'm working on the next chapter now, and have the following one all finished and ready to go. So I will get to work on that as SOON as I watch the 'Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave' scene from Titanic. I can't help but watch it now and think of my fic! -is selfish in that way, yesh-**

**And ofcourse, you know reviews are LVOE!**


	3. By Rights

**OMG! I finally finished this chapter!!**

**By Rights**

Daniel's blue eyes scanned the neighborhood around Vala's house as he stood on the porch, waiting for her to open the door. He'd just gotten off the phone with her minutes before, and though all she'd really been doing was giving him directions to her house, Daniel had enjoyed hearing her voice. Especially after spending half the night arguing with his best friend Jack over disappearing for a day to chat with some strange woman.

He was started from his memories of shouting and slamming doors as the front door opened next to him, accompanied by the sound of that same soothing voice - though it sounded a bit flustered and demanding.

"I mean it, Hayden. I want you ready in FIVE MINUTES!" The words matched her tone before Vala turned her attention out the door. She offered Daniel a warm smile. "Hey, sorry about that. Sometimes I feel like I'm raising a teenager rather then a young child."

Daniel shook his head. "It's okay...I was enjoying the scenery."

She laughed. "Yeah, suburbia at its best." Vala stepped aside and swung the door open a little more. "Come in, please. I doubt we'll be ready to go anytime soon-" She broke off and turned her head to shout down the hall. "I don't hear you getting ready!" Her attention snapped back to Daniel, and she jumped back into her previous statement flawlessly. "And I don't want you just standing outside aimlessly."

"Aimless is what I do best sometimes." Daniel chuckled as he examined his surroundings. Definitely looked like the house of a single mother raising a daughter - not that he'd been in many like it. "You really have a nice house."

It was Vala's turn to laugh again, but this one was sarcastic. "Yeah, it's amazing what speed cleaning will do." She moved towards the kitchen and Daniel followed her. The wry smile she gave him over her shoulder as she made her way to the coffee pot caused his heart to skip a beat. "Just avoid Hayden's room and mine so you can keep your first impression."

Daniel nodded when she indicated if he wanted some coffee by holding up a mug. "I'll try my hardest." He joked, taking a seat despite being unsure of how comfortable he could get in her house. He was trying to hold onto the fact that they'd barely known each other for more than 24 hours - but it became harder the more time he spent with her. "But you didn't have to worry about cleaning up for me." He accepted the cup from her. "Thank you." She nodded back a 'your welcome' as she took a seat beside him. He sipped from the cup before continuing.

"I'm not a very neat person myself."

Her eyebrow quirked. "Oh no, a flaw. I might have to reconsider this whole inviting you to this barbeque."

He laughed gently. "Yeah, well, I never said I was perfect. Far from it, actually." His blue eyes looked at her with total seriousness, letting her know if she really was uncomfortable with his presence that he would leave.

Vala offered an understanding smile. "Apparently I am too..." Daniel's eyebrow rose curiously even as her voice rose as she continued talking. "Seeing as I can't get my own daughter in gear!" She shouted over her shoulder. "Hayden!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Was the reply that came drifting from the room at the end of the hall.

Shaking her head, Vala gave Daniel an apologetic look. "Like I said..."

"Sounds like a firecracker..." He grinned gently, taking a drink of his coffee.

Vala tilted her head a fraction. "You saying she seems like a handful?"

A blush creeping up his neck, Daniel gulped down the coffee awkwardly. "No, no..." He stammered. "I wasn't implying-" He stopped as she laughed good-naturedly.

"It's alright, Daniel." Her hand went up, and Vala grinned even wider as Daniel continued to blush. "I was just messin' with you." She sipped from her cup, then set it down. Her grey eyes stared at her fingers stroking over the rim, her smile turning almost secretive. "She can be a handful sometimes..."

As if that was her cue, said handful stomped into the kitchen. Daniel couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the five year old. Just from the look of her, with her braided pigtails and bright red rimmed sunglasses, he could tell she was a force to be reckoned with.

"I'm ready!" She announced, flinging out her arms.

Vala rolled her eyes dramatically as she pushed her chair back and made her way over to the little girl. "Finally!" She muttered playfully as she snatched up her daughter, who giggled as Vala spun her around. "I was beginning to think we'd have to not go. Uncle Cameron would be very disappointed."

As the two came to a stop facing Daniel, fierce little grey eyes finally landed on him for the first time. Hayden frowned. "Who's that?" She pointed her finger at him.

"Remember the nice man who helped mommy out yesterday?" Vala said as she walked towards Daniel, Hayden against her hip. The little girl nodded, her sunglasses nearly falling off. "Well, this is him."

Hayden gazed down at Daniel, who was giving her a friendly smile. "He doesn't look like a hero."

This time the blush spread across Vala's cheeks, especially as Daniel's eyebrows rose.

"Well..." She had to take a moment to figure out how she'd explain this so Hayden could understand. "All heroes have to look like everyday people to fit in and hide how..." Vala trailed off, fighting not to say the words 'amazing' or 'beautiful'.

Daniel, sensing her discomfort, stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Heroes need their secret identities." He focused on Hayden and her critical stare from over the rim of her ridiculous glasses. Standing his ground, he offered his hand out to her. "I'm Daniel Jackson."

She hesitated a moment, then placed her small hand in his. Daniel squeezed it gently as he shook. "I'm Hayden..." She said eventually, as if she was trying to determine something.

Vala nodded in approval of the exchange, checking her watch. "And we're gonna be late..." She placed Hayden back down and ushered her towards the front door. "Go on, munchkin - lead the way." As her daughter happily marched forward, Vala crooked a finger to indicate for Daniel to follow.

"This way, sir." She joked as they made their way out of the house and down the porch steps. Vala didn't bother locking the door, knowing with the nature of the Mitchells' barbeques, her house would be well watched. Daniel fell in step beside her as they moved down the driveway.

He stuck his hands in his pockets again as they walked, Hayden humming as she strutted a few steps ahead. "So your friends live right down the street?"

Vala nodded. "Yep, just a few houses down." She sighed. "It really does make things a lot easier, considering how much Carolyn looks after Hayden."

"What about me?" Hayden asked loudly, having overheard her name.

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Talking about you, not to you - go back to your humming."

Hayden stamped her foot, then started walking at a brisker pace. She stopped at the curb, eyeing the street before her with curiosity. Vala saw the look on her daughter's face.

"Don't even think about crossing that street without me." She ordered, giving Daniel an exasperated look for her child's actions. "Sorry if she seems a little bratty - She's not exactly happy with mommy."

Daniel tilted his head at the admission. "And that would be because...?"

Vala shook her head while shrugging at the same time. "Because I got in an argument of sorts with Carolyn last night..." She stopped, dropping her voice so Hayden couldn't hear. "Over yesterday..." Her grey eyes looked almost apologetic as they gazed into Daniel's blue. He was listening intently. "And you." She finally added.

Blue eyes widened slightly with understanding, but before he could say anything Vala walked away and moved to help Hayden across the street quickly. It took a few minutes for his mind to kick into action, then he finally followed.

He jogged to catch up with her. Daniel touched her arm as Vala stopped just short of the front lawn to the house Hayden was now racing towards. She turned to look at him, a mix of apology and frustration clouding her beautiful features.

"It really is stupid, Daniel." Vala pouted, crossing her arms and looking away from him. "We had such a good time yesterday, and I wanted it to continue today. But no, Carolyn had to go and be all uptight and tell me I don't know you and this is all too soon..." She shook her head, still not looking at him. "She tells me to go and find someone, and when I finally do..."

Daniel reached up and touched his fingers to her chin. "Hey..." He stated softly, and Vala finally turned her gaze on him. He could see her eyes were a bit watery. "I know exactly how you feel - Jack gave me the same riot act last night about you."

Her hands came up, and Vala turned and stepped away quickly. "Now I feel much better! And it's gonna just get better and better when we go inside and I have to deal with Carolyn, and Cam - Oh God, Cam!"

Wincing, Daniel stepped closer to her once more. "Vala, hey..." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him. "I don't want you all to be on bad terms because of me. I can just go home." He nodded as she shook her head at his words. "Yeah, I think I should - it would be for the best probably."

"No, Daniel, it won't." Vala argued, pointing to the house. "Because even if you leave right now, and call me in a week and ask me out, and we go on a date - they'll still think it's too fast. Too fast because no matter how you look at it, I met you in a damn parking lot and invited you to my house the next day. They'll forever look at me and you like some lovesick teenagers who don't understand what's really at stake."

Daniel shook his head. "I'm sure that's not true." He closed his eyes as she rolled hers and nodded adamantly. "Either way, it's obvious me being here is upsetting you. It's making things harder than it needs to be. I don't want there to be any problems, and if my being here is a problem-"

"It's not a problem."

Both jumped slightly and looked up at the newest addition to the conversation. Carolyn was standing in the middle of the yard, one hand purposely stroking the back of her neck. She offered them a guilty smile and then moved closer. The hand at her neck shot out towards Daniel in offering. "Carolyn Mitchell."

Daniel accepted the hand and gave it a firm, yet gentle, shake. "Daniel Jackson."

"It's nice to meet you." Carolyn gave him a friendly smile and then turned an apologetic one on Vala. "Why don't you two come inside and stop making the gossip mill fuller than it already is?"

Hesitantly, they nodded. Carolyn led the way up the yard and into the house. They moved through the living room, where Hayden had joined Carolyn's own screaming, excited children, and into the kitchen. Daniel hesitated in the entryway, placing a hand on the wall.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?" He asked, but didn't wait for Carolyn to answer. "Because if I'm going to make people uncomfortable..."

Carolyn laughed. "Daniel, once this barbeque really gets going, people won't remember the meaning of uncomfortable." She turned to give him a playful grin from the counter. Vala was leaning against the kitchen table, eyes locked with the floor. She was awaiting the outcome of this first exchange. Vala was waiting to see if Daniel would pass or fail with Carolyn.

"I personally," She continued, holding her hands to her chest to indicate herself. "Have started to come to terms with it all, mainly because I can't stand being on bad footing with my best friend." Carolyn saw understanding flash across Daniel's face. "I won't say I like the pace whatever this thing between you two is taking, but I will say you, Daniel, aren't unwelcome here because of it."

Daniel nodded slowly at her words. "Okay..."

Carolyn walked over to Vala. "I don't want anyone here to feel like they aren't welcome... Just have some fun today and we'll worry about everything else at a later time when there isn't a delirious amount of alcohol waiting to be consumed."

They all laughed at the truth in that, and Daniel finally relaxed a little. He stepped into the kitchen fully, and looked around. "Is there anything you want me to-"

"No." Carolyn's hand came up. "Don't need any help." Her brown eyes fixed him with a serious look. "But I'm sure my husband Cam needs some help on the back porch." She pointed to the sliding glass door that was on the far end of the living room.

"Right." Daniel drawled as he eyed the door warily. He offered Carolyn a sweet smile, then gave one to Vala who had finally looked at him. "Guess I'll go see what I can do." Knowing there was no use in stalling the inevitable grilling he was about to get, Daniel casually headed toward the door, slid it open, and headed out for his next 'test.'

"I'll give you one thing for sure..." Carolyn said as he slid the door shut, watching him stride in his slightly snug jeans. "He's hot!" She breathed into Vala's ear appreciatively

Finally feeling somewhat better, Vala let out a laugh. "Yeah, didn't pick up on that!" Realizing she was still a little too tense for her liking, she pushed off the table and moved to the counter. Vala snatched one of the bottles from the cooler sitting by the sink. Popping the top on the counter, she took a decent sip before turning on her friend.

"You really are cruel...making him think he got through relatively unscathed, then sending him out to my overprotective not brother." Even as she felt a little concerned for Daniel, Vala smirked a little.

Carolyn gave her an innocent shrug, then stepped up to her and snatched the bottle out of her friend's hand. "We're just trying to make sure he's okay for you, Vala." The bottle pressed to her lips, and she took a large drink herself.

Nodding, Vala sighed. "I know, and I love you guys for it." She gave Carolyn an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about last night."

It was Carolyn's turn to laugh. "Hunny, if that turns into what you've been looking for, I'm gonna need to be the one apologizing for last night."

Taking her drink back, Vala raised it in a semi-toast. "I'll sure as hell drink to that."

-------

Daniel took a long draught from the beer in his hand. It was the only thing he found he could do comfortably under the daunting gaze of one Cameron Mitchell. The man was watching him from the lawn chair across the table, his own beer bottle twirling in his hand like it was criticizing just as he was.

"How old did you say you were again?" Cam asked, feigning casualness.

Lowering the bottle to rest atop his leg, Daniel tilted his head a fraction. "Twenty-six."

Cam nodded. "And you're an..." He was trying to process all the information he'd already gleaned from Daniel. He had to admit the young man was harder to read then he'd first imagined when Carolyn had told him the story of what had gone down the day before.

"Archaeologist." Daniel stated automatically out of habit, then shook his head. "No, technically, I'm a student trying to get his doctorate in archaeology."

Nodding again, Cam sipped his beer. The information correlated with what his wife had been told by Vala. "So you don't have a job?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, I do have a job. I'm a T.A. at the college. I teach a class on Ancient Egyptian History. It's not much considering the cost of tuition and everything, but it helps get me by."

"You alone, but what about a girlfriend and her daughter?" Cam asked protectively. "Because you can't forget that fact - that Vala has a daughter."

Daniel sat up a little straighter. "I won't." He said defensively.

Leaning forward, Cam placed his bottle on the table carefully. He gave Daniel a stern glance. "Are you sure you won't?" He didn't wait for Daniel to answer. "You sure you won't win Vala over, pretend to like her daughter, then find some way to get the girl out of the picture when you've found a nice place for yourself?"

"No." Daniel said with conviction.

Cam pointed his finger at Daniel. "You've never dated a woman with a child, have you? Do you even know what it's like to deal with children? To have to give up the 'quality time' with the woman you _think_ you love to take care of her son or daughter?" He could see Daniel getting upset by his questioning. "Do you understand this, Daniel?"

Daniel's blue eyes flashed with indignation. "Of course I understand this."

"Do you really?" Cam pushed, staring straight at the younger man. He just stared right back, not bothering to emphasize again how he did understand. Realizing this was where Daniel would make or break himself in regards to Vala, Cam pushed that one step further.

"When was the last time you had a _real_ girlfriend, Daniel? And I don't mean some drunk college girl one-nighter, I mean a true girlfriend - someone you've really, truly loved. Of course, if you've ever loved someone like that I would have to wonder why you're not still with her." He paused, seeing the troubled look on the young face. This was it - Daniel was about to flunk completely.

"Just tell me when you last had a girlfr-"

"High school!" Daniel snapped suddenly, causing Cam to jump in surprise. He hadn't expected him to sound so defensive and...sad. Two sets of blue eyes met and Cam wondered if maybe he had pushed, had protected, too far.

Daniel took in a shaky deep breath, and broke the stare. "The last person I truly loved like that was in high school, my senior year." He eyed the label of the bottle in his hand. "Her name was Sha're, and she was a _real_ girlfriend - until she _died_ from a car crash the night of graduation, three hours before she was gonna walk across the stage as valedictorian."

Flopping back in his chair, Cam could barely hold the hard gaze Daniel had turned on him.

"She was my _last_," Daniel made special emphasis on the word. "I've never _had_ some drunk college girl one-nighter. I prefer to drown the memory of the night of my graduation spent in an emergency room waiting room in the company of my best friend, Jack." He held out his bottle, and examined it. "Whose six year old son, I might add, is my godson."

Daniel toasted Cam and gave him a tight smile. "Cheers." He drained the remainder dry and angrily chucked the bottle at the tree just off from the porch. Blue eyes burning bright, he looked back at the man whom Vala entrusted to 'protect' her. "So how was that? Did I pass your damn test?"

Snatching his beer back up, Cam took a long drink. Pulling the bottle away from his lips, he ran a hand through his hair. "Damn, man..." He sighed, feeling like a total ass. "I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you like that."

"You're right, you shouldn't have." Daniel replied, his face angry. It quickly merged into an understanding look. "But I get why you did."

Cam nodded. "I'm just trying to protect her."

"I understand." Daniel sighed, slouching down in his chair a little. The tension of the moment was starting to drain from him.

Hand reaching in the cooler beside his chair, Cameron relaxed a little. "Vala is my wife's best friend, and even more so, she's like my sister. I love her, and I love Hayden too. I've helped raise her, hell both of them, and they are part of my family. I just don't want to see them taken advantage of and get hurt." He leaned forward, reaching the fresh beer across the table.

Daniel hesitated a moment, staring at the bottle. Finally, he shrugged and accepted it. "I don't know how much you'll truly believe this, but I wouldn't do either of those things to Vala or Hayden." He popped the top off of the beer on the side of his chair and took a drink.

"To be honest, I don't think I can I believe you just yet." Cam said honestly.

The younger man nodded he was okay with that. The two sat silent for a while, thoughtfully drinking their beers.

Cam cleared his throat finally. "So Daniel..." He looked up at the man, who was watching curiously. "How do you feel about hockey?"

Smiling , Daniel felt the last shred of tension slip away. He slouched down comfortably in his chair and began to explain the religion known as hockey in the O'Neill house.

--------

The sounds of the barbeque turned block party continued to roar on behind Daniel and Vala as they slightly stumbled their way back to her house. Hayden was happily skipping ahead of them, sucking on a popsicle she shouldn't have been having. It was the only way Vala could persuade her to leave for home without a tantrum. It was a compromise sprung from too much junk food and soda on one part, and a few beers too many on the other.

Vala smirked at that. She hadn't been quite this tipsy in a long time. In toast to the fact, she sipped from the bottle she still carried in her hand. Focus elsewhere, she didn't notice how her foot wasn't quite on the sidewalk.

A hand came to her elbow to keep her from stumbling too much.

"Easy..." Daniel laughed, guiding the slightly looped woman back onto the sidewalk. "You feeling okay?" Hell, he knew he was.

Vala grinned at the huskier quality to his voice - the sexier quality. "Fine..." She turned her eyes on him. "Just...fine."

He nodded as he clinked his beer against her own. "Me too."

They walked the remaining short distance in silence. As they got in her house, Vala ordered Hayden off to bed in a half-assed tone, knowing full well she'd just go to her room, close the door, and turn on the tv. She didn't really mind, as long as the girl was out of trouble and not underfoot. Especially since Vala's feet weren't as steady as they normally were.

Hayden out of the way, Vala led Daniel into the kitchen like she had earlier that day. He took a lazy seat at the kitchen table while she sauntered over to the fridge and pulled out the six pack Cam left in there for 'emergencies.'

"I thought we left the party behind..." Daniel laughed as she took the seat next to him, placing the beer on the table. He reached over and took his even share, lining them up just off to his right on the table. Vala did the same, except she placed her own beers on her left.

She smiled at his comment. "No need to stop the fun because we left the playhouse."

Snorting softly, Daniel leaned forward a little. "You sound like you have some experience in this regard."

Vala gave him a secretive smile. "I used to be quite a party girl in my day..." She sighed, leaning back in her chair and draining the beer she'd walked in with. "Of course that was before 'mommy' came attached with my name."

"And what about mommy now?" He asked curiously, also sitting back and draining his bottle. Unlike Vala, Daniel was quick to open the next one and take a tentative sip.

"Now..." Licking her lips, Vala smiled softly and closed her eyes slowly. "Right now, mommy is seriously buzzed." She laughed, opened her eyes and reached for a new beer. Opening it, she placed her elbows on her knees, leaning in close to Daniel. "To be totally honest, I'm borderline drunk right now."

Daniel gave a half-assed laughed. "Borderline?" He drank from his bottle and laughed mouth closed after the bitter liquid slid down his throat. "I think I just crossed that border." His eyes closed.

Placing her bottle down on the table, Vala carefully stood up, took the step over to Daniel, then lowered herself into his lap. Her arms wrapped around Daniel's neck as his eyes opened up to look at her.

"Vala, what are you doing?" He asked quietly, his voice having lost some of that huskiness.

She smiled. "Taking advantage of our current situation." Her lips hovered close to his.

Daniel placed a hand on her chest and pushed her back a little. "You mean advantage of me and the fact that I'm..." He swallowed and blinked. "Drunk."

Nodding, Vala played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "We can have fun, Daniel, and tomorrow blame it all on the beer...which will be true, but will it? Come on.." She breathed, shifting in his lap. "Let's take advantage. Don't you wanna take advantage of me?"

"Yes. I mean no." Daniel mumbled, looking into her beautiful grey eyes. This was all wrong - he felt it. But he couldn't seem to stop himself from wanting it. As Vala leaned in slowly to kiss him, Daniel closed his eyes again. He wanted it - he wanted her. He wanted her to kiss him, and love him, and be with him. He wanted her to be the one that he woke up to every morning. He wanted to be there for her and her daughter. That's when he realized how wrong this really was because if they did this now, all of it would be ruined.

Just in time, Daniel turned his lips away. Vala's slipped past his cheek, and he made sure to keep her from falling over.

"I should go." He said quietly.

Blinking from the rapid change, Vala suddenly realized what she'd almost done. As gracefully as she could muster, she climbed off Daniel's lap. "You, uh...You can't drive home."

Daniel slowly rose to his feet, allowing himself a moment to adjust to his unsteady balance. Sitting down in the chair might have been a bad idea. "I'll call Jack." He fumbled with his cell phone in his pocket, finally pulling it out and flipping it open. He had to bring the screen close to his face to somewhat be able make out the numbers.

"Okay..." Vala crossed her arms over her chest and moved towards the counter. She leaned against it. Looking up, she watched him weave his way slowly to the entryway.

"I'm just, uh..." He waved his hand toward the front door absently. "Gonna go outside and call him." Daniel couldn't help but laugh a little. "He's gonna kick my ass for this."

Vala winced internally. "I'm sorry." Whether Daniel took it as a universal apology or not, she left that up to him. He simply nodded and made his leave. She felt like crying - he didn't even say goodbye...

"Hey, Vala..."

She looked up suddenly at the sound of his voice again. He was giving her a cute grin.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Daniel asked, but Vala could tell it was more a statement. She nodded her approval nonetheless. His smile softened. "Promise."

This time when he walked beyond her sight, Vala heard the front door open and close. Uncrossing her arms, she sighed. As quickly as her slight inebriation would allow, she picked up and headed down the hall for her bedroom. She stopped at Hayden's door, pushing it open a little.

Hayden, lying in bed, turned her attention from the tv to her mother. "You okay, mommy?"

Vala nodded, giving her a gentle smile. "I'm fine. Now I want you to go to sleep."

Yawning, Hayden flicked off the tv with her remote and snuggled deeper into bed.

Sure she was gonna go to sleep, Vala blew her a kiss from the doorway - not really trusting herself with walking to the bed. "Night, babygirl."

"Goodnight mommy." Hayden yawned again. Her mother flicked off the light and about had the door closed when she called out again. "You sure you're okay, mommy?"

Vala poked her head back in and smiled. "Yep...Mommy's fine." She pulled back and brought the door almost all the way closed. She rested her forehead against the wall beside the door.

"Mommy just may have blown the greatest opportunity to be happy she ever had." Vala whispered to herself, pushing off the wall and finding her way to her room and her empty bed.

**A/N: -pauses a moment while she listens to the rest of Hoist the Colours- Okie day... So yeah, how about this chapter?? The beginning of it has been sitting on my harddrive now for a good little while, and i finally reopened it last night and finished it up. My bunnies SOOO wanted me to get Vala and Daniel to hook up, but I kept them at bay for the sake of the fic! It was hard, but I did it. This chapter actually turned out longer than I had originally intended because of the whole 'grilling' scene with Cam and Daniel - that took a way different turn from how it was first planned out. But a turn for the better, I think. Anyways, to make up for my lagging in this, the next chapter is following RIGHT on the heels of this one (i had it written before this one, so it's been waiting to be posted for a while now). **

**And as always, reviews are LVOE!**


	4. Like My Heart

**As promised, the next chapter straight away...**

**Like My Heart**

She didn't know who was more excited - herself or her daughter. Vala couldn't help from laughing as Hayden ran to window to see if he was there yet.

"Hayds, sit down!" She said for the millionth time around her laughter, fighting the urge to check the window herself. As Hayden 'hurumphed' again for the millionth time and stomped back over to the couch, Vala let her mind think back over the past two weeks to help pass the time until he DID show up.

He - Him - Daniel. For the going on two weeks, Vala found him coming into her thoughts when she didn't have to worry about if Hayden had taken her bath or what inventory had moved from the warehouse out onto the floor. Even at those times, she thought about those blues eyes and his gentle voice. Every time she laid down in her bed at the end of the day, where once she'd have to force away thoughts of loneliness, now she dreamed about the possibilities of a new future. A future with Daniel.

She knew she was still trying to rush into something that might not even be there, but Vala had gone on so long with nothing that she found it hard NOT to rush. Still, she was glad that they had decided to take things a little slower. Especially when they almost ended up in bed together that night after the barbeque. They could have used the excuse of too many beers and too much fun, which had been the real reason she'd ended up in his lap at her kitchen table, inches away from kissing him. He'd had enough sense to turn away, and Vala was glad. It would have probably killed the whole relationship right there.

And that was something Vala didn't want. So he'd gone home that night, and she hadn't seen him again until the following Saturday. It wasn't because they didn't want to see each other. They just had their normal lives to get back to after their fantasy weekend together. Even so, with her job as mother and manager and his teaching, they had still managed to talk on the phone almost every night. Then that Saturday, he'd shown up at her doorstep with a single white rose, wearing a nice dress shirt and jeans.

He'd taken her out to dinner at a nice Italian restaraunt, and if it was even still possible, they still managed to find new and exciting topics to talk about. While they had been talking, he had placed his hand over hers resting on the table.

It was such a simple gesture, but Vala had yet to forgot the feeling of Daniel touching her in such a tender way.

She'd had to force herself once more not to rush things. When he'd dropped her off that night, she could hardly contain herself when he's placed a soft kiss to her cheek.

"Give it just a little more time." Daniel had whispered in her ear like he'd read her thoughts. "If only to please our guard dogs." Smiling at her slightly confused look, he'd wished her a goodbye and ledt. Still baffled, Vala had turned around to find Carolyn watching none too covertly from the window.

In the week that followed, Daniel had come over once for dinner. He'd actually spent more time with Hayden that night then with her, but Vala couldn't find a reason to complain about that.

Especially when she now found herself sitting waiting for him to show up to take both her and Hayden out on a 'date', with her daughter's excitement filling the entire room with happy energy. It was a total contrast from the weekend before when Hayden had thrown a fit because he had taken Vala out alone. That was part of the reason why they were getting ready to head out for a day of fun. The major reason, though, was because Daniel really wanted to see them again.

Vala drew in a deep breath. Them - he wanted to see them. Not just her, but her daughter as well. That made her happy in a way nothing ever had in her life. That he had been the one to suggest they take Hayden with them on their second date only made the feeling double in intensity.

"He's here!"

Hayden's squeal jumpstarted Vala back to the moment at hand, and she looked over to the window to see her little girl had once again gone to check to see if he had shown up yet. And this time she had.

Vala rose from the couch and moved to snatch the fidgety girl in her arms. Hayden protested, squirming as her mother carried her back over to the couch. "Mommy!"

"Hayden, geeze, you don't wanna seem too desperate!" Vala laughed as she plopped her on the couch. She pointed her finger in warning at the pouting face she got. "Ah! No getting up. I've GOT to teach you how to play hard to get, child."

The sound of someone clearing their throat made Vala jump, and turn a blushing face towards the doorway. Daniel had a smirk fighting to break free, his blue eyes alight with mischief behind his glasses.

"Maybe I should've knocked first?" He said around his amusement. Vala licked her lips and smiled towards the floor as he stepped into the house and closed the door. His shadow fell over her as he came to stand in front of her. "Cause I've got this feeling I wasn't supposed to hear that." This time he did laugh.

"No, you weren't." Vala offered, blushing once more. Her head shot up seconds later as Daniel placed a gentle kiss to her cheek like he'd done the week before. Except this one had taken her by surprise.

Daniel gave her a soft smile. "Let's just pretend it never happened." Before Vala could reply, a small body tackled Daniel's legs. "Oomph!"

"Hayden!" Vala barked, but Daniel just shook his head saying it was already.

Hayden squeezed Daniel's legs like she hadn't, or wouldn't, see him in ages. "Can we go on our date now?!" She whined.

Pulling the clinging child back a little, Daniel knelt down to her level. "Are you really, really excited?" He smiled as Hayden nodded eagerly. "Okay - then I need you to go get a warm jacket from your room. You'll need it."

As Hayden took off towards her room without a single word, Daniel rose to meet Vala's curious gaze. He tilted his head to the side a little and quirked a smile.

"It's almost a hundred degrees outside. Why would she need a jacket?" She asked with wonder, her mind unable to fathom what he possibly had planned for the day. "What are we-"

Daniel placed a hand to her lips, much in the manner that she had that evening in the parking lot.

"You are going to have to wait and see just like her. And just like her, you are going to need something to wear over that tank top." He could see the questions were still rattling around in her head, and he shook his own when she went to voice one after dropping his hand. It went up immediately, pointing down the hall towards Vala's own room. "No questions, just go get something so we can get out of here and have fun!"

The laughing in his voice softened the harsh words, and Vala found herself smiling and wondering as she trotted down the hall to retrieve her jacket.

------

"Oh my god!" Vala breathed from the passanger seat of Daniel's truck as they pulled into the parking lot of their destination. She turned an excited gaze on him. "I haven't done this in ages - not since high school, I think."

"Haven't done what?" Hayden asked excitedly from the back seat. She leaned forward, straining to see where they were. "Where are we?"

Daniel parked the car and killed the ignition. He turned to look at Vala, who was practically bouncing in her seat. "I can tell you haven't been since high school." He laughed. "You're acting like a teenager." She rolled her eyes, and he turned his attention to Hayden who looked ready to explode. "So wanna know where we are?"

Hayden rolled her eyes just like her mother had. "Yes! Please!?"

Reaching back, Daniel unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted her out of her seat. Placing her in his lap, he pointed to the rather large building infront of them. "You see that?" Hayden nodded eagerly. "Well, that's an ice skating rink. Have you ever been ice skating before?"

She shook her head timidly, scared it would mean they wouldn't be going in.

"Then I guess your mommy and I can teach you." Daniel smiled as Hayden visably perked up again.

Vala nodded, undoing her seatbelt and opening her door in record time. "Yeah, IF we get inside." She bounced outside her door. "Come on, let's go! I wanna ice skate."

Laughing, Daniel lifted Hayden off his lap so she could climb out the passanger door. He unclipped his seatbelt, and snatched the jacket Hayden had left sitting on the backseat. By the time he had climbed out and locked the truck, the girls were halfway across the parking lot. Shaking his head, his jogged to catch up with them.

------

Her grey eyes nervously watched the people flying by the opening onto the ice before her. She heard the scraping of their skates and could feel several pairs of eyes watching her. And that's when she knew she couldn't do this. She didn't care how cool Daniel had made it sound before. Hayden knew she couldn't do this now.

"No!" She squeaked, turning away from the ice and burying her face into her mother's legs right behind her. She felt Vala move to kneel, and loosened her grip just enough. The moment her mother stopped moving, Hayden wrapped her arms tight around her neck.

"Hey, it's okay hunny." Vala laughed gently, running a hand through her daughter's hair. She shared a look with Daniel, who was waiting on the ice, close to the edge so he was out of the way of people already skating.

Hayden shook her head, buried against Vala's neck. "No." She mumbled, clinging to her mother desperately.

"Hayden, it's so easy." Daniel offered in a reassuring voice.

Once again, Hayden shook her head. "They're going too fast, and they'll kill me."

Daniel and Vala shared an amused smile.

"No they won't, hunny." He answered.

"I'll fall down and they'll laugh. I know it." Hayden argued, her voice getting even more muffled as she started to cry.

Vala placed a kiss into her brown hair. "Who cares if they laugh?" She whispered defiantly. "Everyone falls sometime, and we all get laughed at when we do."

Hayden sniffed and pulled back a little. "Everyone?" She asked quietly.

Daniel stepped off the ice and knelt down at the little girl's back. He rubbed it gently. "Everyone, Hayds." She looked back at him as he used her nickname. It was the first time he'd done it, but somehow it made her feel a little better then before. And yet-

"I'm scared." Hayden admitted even as she let go of Vala just a little bit more.

"I'll be there with you the whole time." Daniel said, brushing her hair out of her face. "I promise."

Hayden turned to face him completely. She stumbled a little on her skates, and Daniel steadied her even as Vala did the same thing. "Promise?"

He nodded and gave her a soft smile. "Absolutely." He offered his hand out to her, and after a minute or two Hayden took it. Daniel led her out onto the ice, steading her as she tried to find her balance.

Vala moved out of the way of others who had waited patiently through out the whole exchange. She leaned against the short wall that circled the ice, and watched on silently as Daniel slowly inched her daughter along, keeping her close enough to the wall so she could hold her hand out to it.

"She's one lucky kid to have a great father like that." A woman smiled at Vala who started at her comment. "And you're a lucky one yourself."

For a moment, Vala felt like correcting the woman. But as her eyes found Hayden and Daniel again, and she caught the look of joy quickly spreading across her young face, Vala found she just couldn't say anything but a 'thank you' in return.

------

Several go-arounds in, Daniel leaned down a little as him and Hayden began skating faster. "I'm gonna let your hand go now, okay?" Hayden squeezed his hand tighter for a moment, then she nodded hesitantly. Slowly, Daniel let go, making sure he still kept pace with her as she inched closer to the wall.

"Am I doing it?" Hayden asked shyly.

Daniel nodded and grinned proudly. "You're doing it all by yourself, Hayden."

She laughed in a way that reminded him of Vala. "I think I like ice skating."

"Yeah..." He looked across the rink to where Vala was still watching from the wall. "Me too."

------

"Is it okay if I stop skating and go play in the arcade?" Hayden asked a couple hours later as they sat around a table by the concession area eating corndogs and tater tots.

Vala leaned over and wiped ketchup from the side of Hayden's mouth. "Only if you swear, and I mean swear on your soul, that you'll stay where I can see you." Her tone was that of a seasoned mother.

Hayden nodded quickly, and moved to jump down from her seat. She stopped when Vala held up her finger. Rolling her eyes, the younger girl pouted. "I swear, mommy."

"And what's my rule about talking to strangers."

Jumping down from her chair, Hayden looked at her mother with exasperation. "Don't do it."

Vala nodded. "Okay, go ahead." Hayden wasted no time looking back as she took off toward the arcade with the change Daniel had given her after buying the food. Looking at said instigator, Vala could help but feel worried. "I can't just tell her no, but I'm still terrified. She likes to run off and forgets she needs to stay where I can see her."

Daniel looked at Vala for a long moment, and then looked over towards the arcade. He got up from his chair. "I'll be right back."

Watching curiously, her eyes followed him as he walked up to a young man. From his clothes and general appearence, it was obvious the kid worked at the skating rink. She watched as Daniel said something to him and then handed him a twenty dollar bill. The kid nodded, and Vala sat up a little straighter as Daniel led him over to where Hayden was playing one of the games. A minute later, Daniel was walking back over to her.

"Now we can go skate without worrying if she's okay." He plopped down in his chair and moved to pull his skates on once more. He stopped lacing midway up one skate as he felt Vala's eyes boring into him. Blue eyes looked up to find her staring at him in shock. "What?"

She laughed in disbelief. "You just paid some teenager twenty bucks to look after MY DAUGHTER." Vala could feel the illusion of the past two weeks beginning to shatter in a million pieces. She threw back her chair and moved to go grab Hayden and call a cab home.

Daniel scrambled from his chair, nearly falling on his face as he came to block her path. "Vala, wait."

"Move, Daniel." She could feel the tears in her eyes, and didn't have the heart to fight them. Carolyn had been right - this had all be too sudden. Too perfect.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Daniel silently cursed himself as she shook them off and tried to push past him. "No, no. You don't understand-"

"Oh, I understand." Vala snapped, pulling her arm out of his hand as he tried to touch her again. "Now MOVE so I can get my daughter and go home."

Daniel forcefully took her shoulders, refusing to let her go. His heart was beating so fast as he realized what this all looked like. "I know him, Vala." She stopped struggling as much as he said the words. Her grey eyes looked up into his blue skeptically. "I know him. He plays on the hockey team Jack coaches. I'm the assistant coach, and I know that kid really well. His name is Tommy, and he's really okay." He made sure to keep his voice a reassuring as possible.

All Vala could do was blink around her tears as his words sank in. She found herself totally speechless and completely embarassed.

"He's okay, Vala." Daniel repeated again to have the point sink home. "I wouldn't hand your daughter off to some strange kid. I have no right to do that, and I wouldn't do it anyways. Never in a million years..."

She felt her knees giving out on her as the panic and anger receded. Vala was just glad there was a chair directly behind her. She collapsed into it. "God, I feel like such an ass now."

Daniel knelt down before her. "No, don't. I didn't say anything to you, Vala. This is not your fault. You did exactly what instinct tells you. I'm the idiot here. I'm so sorry I worried you like that!"

"I still jumped to conclusions." She said, indicating to him with her hand. "How could I just think you would do that? I just saw you hand off the money and give her off to him, and I just thought..."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "I know. I know. I'm sorry." Daniel tried to lighten the mood. "I told you I'm not very learned in this dating and parenting thing."

Vala laughed, allowing his words to clear the moment a little. "Yeah, that much is obvious."

"I really am sorry though." Daniel said seriously, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "It's okay." Vala murmured. They sat that way for several minutes, allowing them both time to calm down. Finally, Vala opened her eyes and gave Daniel a flirty smile. "Well, you bought us a babysitter for a little while. Let's take advantage of it."

Daniel laughed, relieved that he truly had been forgiven for his slip up. "Absolutely."

------

He was a lot better at this then she was - she'd definitely give him that. Of course, he'd already said that he was an assitant hockey coach, and she hadn't skated in ages. Not that it really mattered, but Vala couldn't help but notice how easily Daniel could skate circles around her.

"You're thinking too much." He laughed as he skated backwards to face her.

Vala pouted playfully. "And you're skating too damn good."

Laughing, Daniel skated a way a little bit, then came to a skidding stop directly before her. Vala squealed as he covered her in ice. "Jealous?" His tone was smug and sexy.

"Maybe." She admitted, looking up at him with slight envy. He softened his look considerably at the one word, seeing a bit of nostalgia in her grey eyes. "I just used to love going really, really fast."

Daniel grinned at her admission. "Fast, huh?" As Vala shook her head, he took her hand. "Well then."

"Daniel, what are you-" Vala didn't get a chance to finish the question before Daniel took off at an amazingly scary pace, pulling her along behind him. She yelped, finding herself matching his pace as he sped around the rink. "Daniel!"

He was laughing and she was too even as she kept yelling at him to stop.

"We're gonna fall! Daniel! My hand, it's-" Vala laughed breathlessly. Another yelp escaped unchecked past her chilled lips as she lost her hold on Daniel and went sliding uncontrollably. She was so certain she was going to slip and fall, and was laughing too hard to care, that she shrieked like a teenage girl as Daniel came up out of nowhere to catch her in his arms.

But he was laughing so hard himself that he could barely stop her momentum and keep them from falling at the same time. They slipped in place for a minute until finally regaining some sort of balance. It took them a little longer to regain their composure from laughing.

Finally able to breathe somewhat normally, Vala lifted her head off Daniel's chest to give him a smile. He was still laughing a little and grinning like crazy, a slight pant to his breathing. Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity. Then, slowly, Daniel's grin softened. Still drawing in slightly shallow breaths, he leaned his lips in the short distance to hers.

The kiss was soft and gentle and short, a total contrast to the insanity of the moment before.

As they pulled apart, the look Vala saw in that deep blue gaze matched the way she was feeling inside. And that's when they both knew...

Things had suddenly and definitely just changed.

------

"This her room?" Daniel whispered quietly as he stood before a slightly closed door, a very asleep Hayden in his arms.

Vala nodded and pushed past him gently to open the door and flick on the light. She moved into the room, Daniel following right behind her. Adjusting the comforter on the bed, she turned it down enough so Daniel could set Hayden down.

"Do you want to change her or..." The uncertainty was evident in his voice even at the whispering level, and Vala placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"Just take her shoes off." Her voice was filled with amusement. She watched on with enormous affection as Daniel gently removed Hayden's shoes, then took the initiative to tuck her in without even asking. A smile grace her lips as he bent down to brush the bangs from her daughter's face, only pulling back after placing a kiss against her forehead.

She took his hand and led him out of the room, shutting of the light and closing the door most of the way as they went. Looking up into his unsure blue eyes, Vala smiled even brighter. "You're a natural already."

Daniel took her hand, humbled enough into blushing. "Already..." He whispered, not being able to meet her gaze. His thumb stroked over the back of her hand slowly. "Vala, I don't think I can-" As his head came up, all his words were knocked out of him as she took his mouth in a hungry kiss.

This one lasted a little longer than their first, but wasn't that long still as Daniel abruptly pulled away.

"Vala..." He pleaded, resting his forehead against hers.

Her hand slid around to the back of his neck and up into his hair. "Can't you feel it, Daniel?" Vala whispered desperately. "Can't you feel that it's there and it's right and that this is our time?"

He nodded against her, fighting so hard not to kiss her again. "But we've only been seeing each other for two weeks, and everyone thinks-"

"Screw everyone!" Vala hissed, but not in anger towards him. "This is about us. You, me, and Hayden. No one else at this moment matters. I trust this, Daniel." She stroked her fingers through his hair, seeing the tears in his eyes that matched his own. "Now trust me the same way I trust you with my little girl."

That was just enough to weaken his barriers. Daniel crashed his mouth to hers in a heated, passionate kiss. He wound his hand up into her dark, black hair and pushed her back until she collided with the wall on the opposite side of the door.

Breaking away one more time, Daniel looked into her needy gaze. He placed a soft kiss to her lips. "I trust you." He murmured. Then he kissed her again, long and hard, as he lifted her up and carried her down the hall to the master bedroom.

**A/N: Two weeks is a suffient amount of time, right?? Considering the nature of their characters in general, I think it is! Now they'll just have to deal with everyone else... Writing this chapter seriously gave me the urge to go ice skating again, which I haven't done in a long time! Oh, and the bunnies just keep throwing these little character quirks into the story that just amuses me to no end (like Daniel being an assitant coach to Jack on a hockey team!)... Another Oh... If the ones before didn't seem so obvious, I'm sure this chapter title points out where i keep getting said titles from! LoL... Anywho, planning on working on the next chapter right after posting this while I listen to the AWE OST (which I have YET to watch since getting the DVD on Tuesday! I know, you're all gasping at my pirates fandom shame...)**

**And ofcourse, reviewsLVOE!**


	5. Heart to Tell

**Heart to Tell**

Daniel lethargically awoke to the feeling of a warm body wrapped in against his chest. He inhaled deeply, smiling sleepily at the sweet scent that greeted him. His blue eyes slowly opened to confirm that he hadn't just dreamed it all - that he really was waking up in Vala's bed with her wrapped in his arms.

Her breathing was deep and peaceful as she lay asleep in his embrace, one hand lightly resting against his against her sheet-covered stomach. Daniel pushed himself up on his elbow and watched her breathe in and out for a few minutes, stroking his thumb over the sheet covering her.

Vala shifted at his touch and Daniel's smile returned. He sat up a little, pulled back her dark hair covering the side of her neck, and leaned down to place a gentle kiss there.

"Morning." He whispered into her ear as she shifted again.

"Hmmm..." She murmured, a soft smile coming to her lips. "It's morning already?"

Daniel nodded even though she'd yet to open her eyes. "Yep."

Vala moved to lie on her back, smiling up into his happy face. "Where did the night get to?"

He laughed quietly and brushed the bangs back from her face. "I think we both know the answer to that..." He answered mischievously before leaning down again, this time to take her mouth in a hungry kiss. Vala laughed into his warm mouth and nodded, bringing her hand to the back of his neck. Her fingers tangled into his hair.

Daniel pulled up slowly, making sure he placed a smaller, softer kiss to her lips as he went. Vala continued to smile up at him as he continued to smile down at her. After a moment, his smile dimmed just a fraction.

"They're gonna read us the riot act..." He left the rest unsaid.

Vala tilted her head to the side and brushed her fingers over the hair sticking up above his forehead. "Does that matter, really?" She questioned honestly, not really knowing where she stood on the answer herself.

"Well..." Daniel looked up, considering it. "No, it doesn't." He shook his head, bringing his gaze back down to meet hers. "Just now we're gonna have to explain and defend where our relationship is going."

It was Vala's turn to sit up as Daniel flopped down on his back. "Where _is_ our relationship going, Daniel?" She asked seriously. "Where has it gone already?"

Daniel gazed at her for a long moment. He could see the uncertainty in her eyes, could see the fear lingering in those grey depths. It made him just want to pull her tight against him and kiss her until all that uncertainty and fear went away. And yet he didn't because he knew that wasn't what she wanted from him right then. Vala wanted Daniel to give her the right answer - the truth.

"I can't say for sure where we might be heading by taking this chance." He finally said, taking her hand in his. He pressed the back of it to his lips tenderly. "But I can say I care for you, _a lot_, and that makes all the chance and unclarity worth it."

Nodding, Vala relaxed down against him, pulling the sheet up over their bodies again. "Thank you."

Daniel brushed a hand over her hair. "For what?"

"For being honest." Vala said matter-of-factly. "And for not saying love."

"Love takes time to be whole..." Daniel replied back.

Fingers stroking over his firm chest, Vala nodded against him. "It does..." She shifted her head so she could gaze into his beautiful blue eyes. "But it can work it's magic in an instant."

He smiled and placed a kiss on her nose. "Like a tire-fixing instant."

She laughed gently. "Yeah..."

"Do you think they'll buy all that?" Daniel whispered thoughtfully, bringing his other arm around to hold Vala tighter to him.

Vala shifted in his grasp so she was lying on top of him. She rested her hands flat against his chest, and placed her chin down on them. Her grey eyes looked up into blue. "We'll sell it in a way that they can't possibly resist."

Daniel grinned mischievously again and brought his hands to her hips. Holding her in place, he sat up and kissed her fiercely. She planted her knees into the mattress and wrapped her arms tight around his neck. Daniel brought one hand up her back, splaying flat between her shoulder blades. They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't register the knock at the bedroom door. The muffled voice that followed through the wood did catch their attention.

"Mommy?"

Breaking away abruptly, Vala gave an apologetic glance to Daniel.

"Yeah, baby?" She called out as he nodded his head in understanding.

"I'm hungry..." Hayden replied with the door remaining closed. Her voice sounded hesitant, as if she wasn't sure it was okay to be telling Vala that.

Vala closed her eyes slowly and rested her forehead against Daniel's. She took a moment to give him a kiss. Then another moment for another small kiss.

The tentative knock came again. "Mommy?"

Sighing, Vala reluctantly climbed off Daniel and out of bed. "I'm coming, Hayds." She absently picked up a shirt off the floor, snatching a clean pair of her shorts from the chair as she passed to the door. Reaching for the knob, she looked back at Daniel to make sure he was properly covered. As he nodded, Vala sighed again and opened the door.

Staring up at her was the sleepy face of her five year old.

"Morning, munchkin." Vala grinned.

Hayden yawned in return, looking into the room beyond her mother. Her eyes landed on Daniel lying in the bed, watching them both patiently. "Daniel slept over?" She asked curiously, looking up at Vala for the answer.

"Oh, uh..." Vala looked back at Daniel, who grinned and gave a half shrug. "Yeah, he did." She turned her attention back to Hayden. "Mommy and Daniel had a sleep over last night." If she didn't know any better, she could have swore there was a choked off laugh barely muffled from behind her.

Little grey eyes watched her for a moment. Then Hayden tilted her head. "Is that why you're wearing Daniel's shirt?"

Daniel's muffled laughter came again. Her own grey eyes widening a little, Vala quickly looked down at her attire. She was, in fact, wearing the vintage t-shirt Daniel had donned just the day before. The shirt he had so hastily dropped to the floor that previous night.

"That's exactly why, Hayds." Vala finally said with an embarrassed smile. Wanting not to have to explain the 'sleepover' to her five year old, Vala rushed on. "Why don't we go and make some breakfast, huh?"

Yawning again, Hayden nodded enthusiastically. "Okay..."

Vala nodded too. "Good...why don't you go and start getting the stuff we're gonna need out, and I'll be right there?"

"Yep." Hayden said, giving Daniel one last curious look before turning and heading back down the hall to the kitchen.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Vala turned around to find Daniel snickering at her in amusement. She squinted at him. "It's not funny." The statement didn't really have the effect she intended as she started to giggle too.

He nodded his head emphatically. "Yes it is." Daniel rolled onto his back, looking upside down at Vala as she came to stand beside the bed. Her hands came to her hips. "Nice shirt." He laughed in an approving tone, enjoying the view.

Vala shook her head, leaning down to kiss him. "I need to go make breakfast." She tapped her hand against his shoulder.

"Mind if I take a shower then?" Daniel asked, his hand taking her own. Vala smiled and leaned down to kiss him again.

"That perfectly okay..." Her hand brushed over his hair. "And don't worry about asking permission to do something - we've had sex, Daniel. I think we've crossed that awkward line. This house is open to you."

Daniel smiled and nodded. "Okay."

**A/N: Hmmm, what to say about this chapter?? Of course Hayden had to pop up in there somewhere...it's just a child's prerogative to interrupt something like that! LoL...Anywho, maybe it's just everyone is uber busy and whatsuch, but haven't gotten many reviews for the last two chapters yet...or maybe everyone has come to hate my stuff -shrugs- Either way, I would really look forward to more - it would make this week of upcoming finals much more bearable...**

**So Reviews please! They are LVOE (and will spur me to get the next chapter out as soon as possible)!**


	6. Led Astray

**Led Astray**

'Nine o'clock on a Sunday morning is a little early...' Carolyn mused to herself as she looked at the SUV that was becoming more familiar in her friend's driveway as she strolled past. She stopped and gazed in the driver's window for a moment before continuing on up to the house.

She could hear muffled conversation and giggling even as she approached the front door. Pausing a moment, Carolyn's hand hesitated over the doorknob. Should she knock?

"Right.." She laughed to herself as she quietly turned the knob. The only time she'd ever knocked on the door in her life was when her and Vala had first become friends - and that had been a long time ago. Still, as the sounds got louder as she stepped inside, Carolyn felt she'd wait a few minutes to make her presence known.

Silently, she closed the door and stepped up against the wall just off from the entryway to the kitchen.

Daniel's voice was recognizable immediately. "Why don't we show your mommy how to make some _real_ pancakes, hmm?"

"Are you implying that I can't make pancakes?" Though it sounded indignant, Carolyn could hear the amusement in Vala's tone. That, and something unidentifiable. Hayden's giggling filled the otherwise momentary silence that followed the statement.

Then Daniel's voice came again, sounding a little farther away. "No..." He laughed. His next words were muffled and harder to hear. "It's just an excuse to hold you again."

Eyes widening, Carolyn peeked around the edge of the wall. She could see Hayden sitting at the kitchen table, giggling at the adults near the counter. Brown eyes blinked in surprise at the sight of Daniel with his chest pressed firmly against Vala's back. One arm wrapped around her waist while he placed his other hand over hers as she poured batter into a frying pan. It definitely didn't escape Carolyn's attention that Daniel was naked from the waist up, or that the only thing Vala had on underneath that suspiciously large shirt was a tiny pair of shorts that showed off most of her legs.

"You don't need excuses..." Vala replied with a giggle as Daniel kissed along her neck. Her bare foot came up to stroke up and down his jean-covered ankle.

Not being able to stand there any longer, Carolyn stepped out into view. She crossed her arms and gazed at the pair. They continued necking, not noticing her. Hayden saw her, however.

She jumped up from her seat. "Auntie Carolyn!"

"Hey Hayds." Carolyn never took her eyes off Daniel and Vala as the little girl came to hug her legs. She was satisfied to see the way the two spun around in surprise at her voice. They stared at her like two kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Vala blinked towards her friend. "Hi...Carolyn."

"Hey Vala..." Carolyn's shit eating grin turned on the young man. "Daniel."

He offered her an embarrassed smile and nod. "Carolyn."

Carolyn tilted her head to the side a fraction, eyeing the young man with consideration. "I'm surprised to see you here so early, Daniel."

From the look she was passing between him and Vala, Daniel figured she'd already come to the right conclusion. Still, he feigned innocence. "Well, I was in-"

"Mommy and Daniel had a sleep over last night!" Hayden interrupted; excited she could share the big news.

Looking down at the girl, Carolyn smiled. "Oh, they did," She looked up at the two, now outted. Vala was watching her, face going a shade pinker as her hand sat over her mouth. Daniel had silently moved over to the far counter and was intently focused on pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Did they?"

The little girl nodded and skipped back over to her chair. "Yep. They were both sleeping in mommy's bed this morning..."

"Oh, I see." Carolyn walked farther into the room, leaning her arms down on the back of one of the other chairs. She continued to grin back and forth between Vala and Daniel, who still had his back to the three of them.

Vala dropped the hand from her mouth, glaring down her friend. "Hayden, can you go to your room please."

The little girl pouted and looked up at her mother. "But what about breakfast?"

"I'll let you know when it's ready." Vala never took her eyes of Carolyn, snapping her finger in the direction of Hayden's room. "Now, go."

With a huffy sigh, Hayden jumped down from her chair and trudged her way towards the doorway. She stopped just short of stepping onto the carpet of the living room. "Daniel?" She called out to him.

He turned his head to look at her. "Yeah?"

"You'll still be here when I come out, right?" Hayden's voice was nervous and hesitant.

Carolyn watch with interest as a small smile came over the man's face.

"I don't know." He told her honestly, and Carolyn watched Hayden's face fall at the admission. It surprised her a little. She looked up at Daniel as he continued on. "But I promise if I leave, I'll say goodbye to you - okay?"

Smiling, Hayden nodded. "Okay."

As Hayden headed for her room, Carolyn stood up and looked at her longtime friend. "Nice shirt." She smirked, though every part of it was sarcastic.

"Oh, quit with the games while you're ahead." Vala sighed, eyeing her friend with a knowing look. "Just come out and say what you really wanna say." She crossed her arms.

Carolyn shrugged innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

Shaking her head, Vala turned back to the stove. She tried to make the best of the burnt batter in the frying pan, but it was a futile act. "Oh, come on Carolyn. We all know what your thinking."

"What am I thinking?" Carolyn challenged, stepping around the chair and over next to Vala. "Am I possibly thinking it's unbelievable that you two," She looked up at Daniel, who was watching her nervously from his 'coffee corner'. "Had a nice little 'sleep over'," Carolyn air quoted around the words. "Last night?"

Vala stared intently at the frying pan. "It's none of your business what we did last night."

"None of my - Vala, your whole life has been my business practically since the day we _met_!" Carolyn practically shouted. "Now you have sex with a man you only met two weeks ago, and suddenly it's none of my business what you do?!"

Grey eyes turned a heated glare on her. "Jealous much?" Vala spat.

Eyes widening, Carolyn's mouth fell open a little. "You think I'm jealous?"

Vala picked up the frying pan and flung it in the sink. The sound of shattering glassed joined the clatter of its impact. "Well, you sure as shit aren't happy for me!" She made her way over to Daniel, who watched the heated exchange intently. He placed his mug on the counter behind him, and took her hand reassuringly. She spun on her heels, bringing his arm around her waist as she did.

"You two are quite cozy now, aren't you?" Carolyn's question was sarcastic, her eyes squinting at the now obvious couple. "Guess crazy, reckless sex will do that - too bad it's all some facade." She was both pleased and terrified at the way Vala flinched at the word. "You wanna believe Daniel here is the one, go right ahead. I'm done trying to give a shit about your well being. Go be naive and reckless with this fucking fake hero!"

The only thing that kept Vala from going after Carolyn was Daniel. "Don't..." He whispered in her ear. "It isn't the way to handle this."

Breathing in deeply, Vala entwined her fingers tightly in his. "Get out of my house." She ordered quietly to Carolyn. "Get out now before I throw you out."

Carolyn shrugged, fighting the tears ready to break free. "Gladly." She said back calmly, stalking out the way she came.

As the door slammed, Vala let out a ragged breath. She stepped away from Daniel, staring at the mess she'd made in her sink. "I need...need to clean this..." Her breath caught in her throat, the tears spilling over onto her cheeks.

Daniel moved to take her in his arms as she started to cry brokenly. "It's okay."

"What am I doing, Daniel?" Vala turned and cried into his chest. "I'm jeopardizing the only family I really have for something I don't even know is gonna last. I'm throwing them away for..."

He tightened his hold on her. "I'm sorry I'm not proving myself completely."

Vala pulled back and shook her head. "No...no." She pushed away from him and stepped over to the table. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." She squeezed her eyes shut. "How could everything get so screwed up after yesterday? Yesterday was perfect, and now..."

"We knew it could happen like this..." Daniel offered, giving Vala her space.

She wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm scared, Daniel." Vala turned to face him as the tears continued to fall. "Scared that being together will destroy us before we even reach happiness."

Daniel nodded and stepped over to her, not being able to take seeing her suffering. "I'm scared too." He rubbed her arms with his hands. "And as crazy as this sounds, I'm thinking being scared is a good thing."

"How?" Vala questioned with uncertainty, bringing her fingers up to softly stroke his chest.

"We're proving to ourselves that we're in this for the long run." He whispered, pulling her in close.

Vala rested her head against his warm flesh, taking comfort in Daniel's strong heartbeat. "I don't want to lose my best friend over this. She's always been there for me, and I honestly don't think I can do it..."

"You're not gonna lose her." Daniel stated firmly. "No matter what I have to do to prove to her that I'm serious about this, I promise you that you won't lose Carolyn."

She pulled back, looking into his promising blue eyes. "Thank you, Daniel." Vala leaned up and gave him a simple, sweet kiss. He gladly accepted it.

Daniel then placed a reassuring kiss to her forehead. "Now how about we clean up this mess and fix some pancakes before someone else hates us?"

"I like that plan..." Vala gave a small smile. She reluctantly let Daniel move away to grab the trashcan. As she watched him, Vala's smile widened at his dueling attitude of comfortable and awkward in her home. Taking a deep breath, she moved to join him - in more ways than one.

**A/N: I never intended Carolyn to get so harsh, but that's where the brabbits took me! I think it works out better than from what I had originally planned. It helps show how everyone is scared for the future of the relationship, and solidfies the fact that Daniel and Vala are in it for the long run! Anywho, the next chapter is right on the heels of this one, and there will be a resolution to this conflict. **

**Ofcourse, reviews are LVOE!**


	7. Things That Are

**Things That Are**

"This is almost like déjà vu..." Daniel murmured playfully in Vala's ear as they walked down the sidewalk, Hayden skipping ahead of them. The major difference this time was their fingers were firmly entwined together.

Vala nodded her head distractedly. "Yeah..." She said absently in return, having only barely registered his words.

He gently tugged on her hand in his. "Hey, you okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Vala turned uncertain grey eyes on him. "I'm not so sure about this, Daniel." Her gaze dropped to their hands. "This is the longest I've ever gone without speaking to her at all..." She looked back up at him desperately. "Two weeks is a long time for best friends."

"See, there's the beauty of it." Daniel smiled, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand. "You two have been best friends for so long, I doubt something like this could come in the way." He shrugged. "Besides, they invited us over - us, being all three of us, not just you two and then me."

She let out a sigh. "I know...It's just these past two weeks, as hard as they've been without Carolyn, they've been wonderful in terms of you and me, and Hayden also." Vala gazed at her daughter, who was just out of earshot. "We've grown closer, and I don't want that criticized."

Daniel nodded. "But like you said, you two are best friends...I'm sure it'll all be alright."

Snorting softly, Vala turned a curious smile on her boyfriend. "Says the man who's been lying to his best friend about where he goes on days off."

"Let's leave the drama on my end until after we settle yours." Daniel muttered playfully, squeezing her hand for good measure. His smile fell away a fraction as he caught sight of Hayden about to cross the street. "Don't even think about it!"

Vala looked up at Daniel with a fast-growing affection. He was quickly, and easily, falling into the role Tomin had abandoned just a few years before. She turned her eyes on Hayden, who was glaring back at the man with mild exasperation. Despite that, Vala could see how comfortable the two had become with each other. It was as if they'd been made to fit together, and all they'd needed to do was find one another.

"Daniel..." Hayden whined as the couple caught up to the little girl.

"Hayden..." Daniel mocked back with a grin.

She huffed, stamping her foot. "You told me I was a big girl...Don't big girls get to cross the street by themselves? I've done it millions of times with mommy, and Auntie Carolyn, and Uncle Cam...I'm almost six, you know!"

Blue eyes looked at Vala with amusement. "Almost..." He turned his attention back down to Hayden. "Seven months is a long almost...And I know I called you a big girl - you are in a lot of ways, but when it comes to crossing the street, your mommy and I would just feel better if you didn't do it alone."

Little grey eyes squinted up at him, then turned on Vala for a moment. A reluctant sigh followed. "Fine..." Hayden thrust her hand up.

Daniel took it firmly. "Thank you."

"You're getting good at this." Vala whispered in his ear proudly as they crossed the street.

He looked at her with a smirk. "But will I be able to show them that?" His head tilted in the direction of the house up on their left.

Vala pulled in another deep breath. "I guess there's only one way to find out." She steeled herself for what might lie ahead and allowed Hayden to lead Daniel and herself up the walkway to the front door.

Standing on the porch, it was Daniel's turn to pull in a deep breath. He reached up and gently knocked on the door, instinctively squeezing Vala's hand a little. The two shared a long look, only breaking it when the door swung open.

"Uncle Cam!" Hayden smiled excited, throwing herself at the man.

Cam picked her up and swung her around. "Hey kiddo." He pulled her in for a hug, grinning as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I've missed you."

She giggled. "I've missed you too." Hayden squirmed as Cameron lowered her back down to the floor.

"Someone's excited." He laughed, stepping aside so she could rush inside. Hayden immediately obliged, not even bothering to say anything to her mother or Daniel before she did. Cam stared at the couple standing nervously before him. His blue eyes flicked to their joined hands for a moment.

"Hey Cam..." Vala smiled hesitantly.

Cameron watched her a moment. "Vala..." He said slowly, then broke out in a grin. "Come here!" He laughed, opening his arms.

Heaving a breath of relief, Vala moved to hug her 'brother'. She squeezed him tightly.

"Glad to see ya, girl." Cam whispered in her ear as he placed his hand on the back of her head. He looked at Daniel, who was watching them with a patient smile. "Good to see he's been takin' care of you."

Vala pulled back, slightly embarrassed by the few tears on her cheeks. "It's only been two weeks, Cam."

He looked at her expectantly. "Two weeks is a long time for us..." Cam brushed her hair behind her ear. "Way too long, if you ask me. If it were up to me, you two would've had this all resolved that first day." Blue eyes stared intently at the young man, then he smiled again. "But ya'll did it your own way and left us men to suffer through your emotions."

Daniel relaxed as Cameron held his hand out to him. "More of a learning and understanding experience than a suffering one." He took the hand and shook

"Good answer." Cam joked. He stepped aside as he released Daniel's hand. "Please, come in. Kids are dying to see ya, Vala."

She stepped inside and quickly took Daniel's hand in hers again. "Just the kids?"

Cam noted the hand-holding. "Not just the kids." He smiled reassuringly, looking up at her. "Carolyn's in the kitchen anxiously waiting for you, though of course she won't admit it."

Vala nodded, then looked up at Daniel. "Come to my rescue if I need it?" She saw the way Cam raised his eyebrow at the words, but ignored it.

"Absolutely." Daniel promised, leaning in to kiss her gently.

Reluctantly, Vala broke the hold between them and made her way to the kitchen. It left the two men standing alone. Daniel stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at Cam. He was looking at the young man curiously.

Finally, he smiled. "Wanna assist me on the porch?"

Daniel grinned. "Of course, assuming that the assisting is rewarded with beer?"

Laughing, Cam clapped Daniel on the back and led the man over to the sliding glass door. "You assume correctly, my good man." He glanced over his shoulder, Daniel joining him, at the stare down being had in the kitchen. "Maybe..." Cam looked at Daniel. "We should leave the door open a little, just in case."

Daniel nodded, barely able to look away from Vala before he was ushered outside.

------

"Carolyn." Vala said wearily, keeping a safe distance from the woman.

Crossing her arms, Carolyn leaned back against the counter. "Vala." She glanced across the living room, out the sliding glass door, at Daniel accepting a beer from her husband. "I see things are still going strong."

Vala nodded. "Yep, and the crazy, reckless sex is still as amazing as ever." She couldn't stop herself from adding.

"Until you wind up pregnant again." Carolyn retorted, daring her friend to say otherwise.

Which she did. "That's not gonna happen, at least not for a little while." Vala said firmly, relaxing a little as she said her next words. "Though I can't say that I don't want it to happen."

Carolyn sighed, relaxing as well. "You really do like him, don't you?"

"Bordering on love now." Vala admitted with a small smile, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I just wish you could see what I see - I want you to be happy for me."

Sighing again, Carolyn closed in the space between them. "I want to be happy for you too." She whispered, taking Vala in a hug. "I'm just scared you'll end up heartbroken over this. I don't think I can handle another Tomin repeat. That about killed you."

Vala shook her head. "Daniel wouldn't do that, Carolyn." She pulled back and stared intently at her friend. "You have to trust me on this - trust him."

"You've only known him a month." Carolyn wasn't quite ready to give up her fight just yet.

"But we've learned so much about each other in that month." Vala said passionately. "It's not just sex driven by reckless, bottled passion - We're in a relationship. Daniel and I have spent so many nights just talking, getting to really know each other."

Carolyn eyed her friend, slowly giving way. "And Hayden likes him?"

Laughing, Vala stepped over to the counter. "If she didn't, he wouldn't be here."

"I'm still unsure about this..." Carolyn sighed, joining her friend. "But I won't let it eat at me anymore because it's too much work to live without you." She nudged Vala's arm with her shoulder. "And I can't miss out on you finding happiness again."

Vala smiled. "This is what you wanted, remember?"

"Yeah, well of course you gotta go and find some damn absurd way of giving me what I want." Carolyn laughed, moving to snatch a bottle of wine from the wine rack. Pulling out two glasses from the cabinet, she poured a generous amount into each. "But this doesn't mean I've forgiven you for kicking me out of your house."

Tilting an eyebrow curiously, Vala stepped over to retrieve her glass. "And how may I be forgiven, I wonder?"

Carolyn picked up her own glass. "You are gonna help me make dinner and tell me _everything_," She flicked her gaze towards the backyard for emphasis. "While we get pleasurably tipsy off this wine."

"I think I can live with that." Vala grinned, clinking her glass against her friend's before taking a decent sip from it.

-------

The two men looked up at the sound of clinking glassware just in time to see the two friends sharing in a toast of red wine.

"It is the alcohol that binds us." Daniel joked, taking a drink from his bottle.

Cam leaned forward in his chair and clinked his bottle against Daniel's. "Amen to that." He took a drink himself, settling back into his seat. "So Carolyn told me you and Vala..."

Daniel only blushed a little. "Yeah..."

"Two weeks isn't long..." Cam said slowly, carefully. He didn't want to come off as a bad guy - he just wanted to get his point across. "In terms of that, I mean."

The young man nodded. "I know...And I tried not to want it." Daniel admitted. "But I just...there's a connection between me and Vala."

Cam snorted, taking another sip. "So I've noticed."

"What can I say?" Daniel grinned. "I really am a helpless romantic."

"That's a good thing." Cameron said seriously. It was only a moment before it fizzled out into amusement once more. "For Vala, at least. It just screws you over in the long run." To emphasize his exaggerated point, he glanced out at his children running around on the grass.

Daniel followed his gaze, looking at Hayden thoughtfully. "I think I'd rather be screwed then free..." He smiled as the little girl made her breathless way over to him. Brian and Cassidy, Cam's son and daughter, ran over to their father.

"Why do I sense they want something?" Cam looked at Daniel curiously as the children panted by their chairs.

Daniel shrugged. "I can't imagine..."

"Dad, can we go play in the woods?" Brian, at the age of eight, considered himself the leader of the three. Not that Cassidy and Hayden would ever agree to that - the two being almost like twins.

Cassidy batted little brown doe eyes at her father. "Please daddy?"

Sighing because he could never say no to his daughter, Cam nodded. "Fine." He drank from his bottle, then stopped them from running off, latching onto Brian's shirt. "But you better keep a close eye on your sister."

"Dad!" Brian whined. "I'm not her babysitter..."

"Yeah!" Cassidy agreed, placing her hands on her hips.

Cam held up a warning finger. "No, you're her brother and that means you should always be keeping an eye on her." He sat up and pulled his son close. "Promise me you'll watch her, or you won't be going."

"And Hayden too." Hayden added, giving a pleading look to Daniel.

Daniel sighed. "I don't know, munchkin - this really isn't my call."

The little girl pouted. "But Daniel..."

"Okay," Daniel took a drink from his beer, setting in on the table as he sat forward. He pulled Hayden between his legs. "But you have to promise me you'll be careful - I don't want you getting hurt and having your mommy kill me." He looked up at Brian. "And only if he promises to look after you."

Hayden turned a glare on Brian. "Brian, promise now!"

Like Cam couldn't say no to Cassidy, Brian found he just couldn't say no to Hayden. "Fine! I promise!" He squirmed under his father's grip. "But they have to promise not to be annoying little brats!"

"Boy!" Cam barked, tugging on Brian's collar.

Hayden grinned. "It's okay Uncle Cam - we promise." She moved to take Cassidy's hand and start running towards the woods at the far end of the backyard. A hand on her wrist stopped her. She turned back to see Daniel staring patiently at her.

"Did you forget something?" He asked.

"Oh!" Hayden moved back over to him and planted a small kiss on his cheek. "I promise to be careful."

Daniel nodded. "Okay, have fun." With that, he let her go. The two girls took off at a run, Brian quickly catching them up after Cam let him go.

------

Forty-five minutes later, Cam and Daniel, well into their third beer, decided they should probably get the grill ready for the food. A shouted warning that they 'better get off their lazy asses unless they needed incentive not to sit down' helped get them motivated.

"You really did screw yourself over." Cam laughed as he stepped over to the grill and opened the lid. "At least when I met Caro, she was hot and yet to become a mother." He tilted his bottle towards Daniel after taking a drink from it. "You're mixing yourself in with Vala, who's had nothing to do but hone those mommy skills, like yelling serious threats."

Daniel shook his head. "Would you quit saying I'm screwed!" He hefted up the bag of charcoal onto the preparation counter next to the grill. "I couldn't be happier with Vala and all her mommy skills. Hayden is such a wonderful little girl..."

Grinning, Cam turned a mock glare on the young man. "Either you're just trying to win brownie points with me, or you really do like them." He caught the indignant look Daniel tried to hide behind his beer. "I did see the way Hayds looked at you..."

"What way?" Daniel asked, his naivety in the matter coming through.

Cameron chuckled, glancing out to the woods where the kids could be heard shrieking and laughing. "The way Cassidy looks at me." He turned his gaze on Daniel, willing him to understand.

Blue eyes widened as he did. "Whoa, okay..." Daniel laughed nervously. "Now I'm thinkin that beer has gone to your head because wow..." He ran a hand through his hair. "Like you said before, it's only been a month that I've been with Vala."

"Kids have a way of perceiving things that we don't." Cam said thoughtfully, smiling at the way Daniel watched him with uncertainty. "Relax, man. If anything, it's a really good sign. You've got the kid on your side, and that's a sure way to get mommy for sure."

"Oh, he's already got mommy..." A playful voice said from the doorway. Both men spun around to find Vala watching them, her hands and arms precariously balancing bowls and plates, one hand firmly wrapped around a half-full wine glass.

Daniel moved to help her.

Vala smiled sweetly at him, then looked around as she moved to carry the one bowl he didn't take from her over to the table where they'd be eating. "Where are the kids?"

"Playing out in the woods." Cam informed her, pouring the charcoal into the pit of the grill.

Daniel turned to face Vala. "I told Hayden she could go, if that's alright."

Smiling, Vala nodded. "That's fine." She sipped from her glass, then leaned up and took his mouth in a happy kiss.

Cam grinned as Daniel placed a hand on Vala's back as she stepped backwards during the lip-lock. "You're drunk." he sing-songed to her.

"I am not." Vala huffed indignantly.

"Are too." Cam argued back.

"Am not!" Vala retorted.

Daniel leaned in and whispered loudly in her ear. "You do taste pretty drunk."

She turned a glare of mock betrayal on him. "Not helping!" Her grey eyes turned back to Cam as he laughed. "Shut up! I'm not drunk..." Vala moved back towards the door. She flipped her hair seductively, giving them a significant look. "I'm..." Her grin was smug. "Not quite drunk...yet."

Watching her go, Daniel's mind immediately went to the possibilities ahead for him later that evening. He took a long pull from his beer bottle to quell his building desire.

A loud, resounding snap coming from the woods shook him from his fantasies. Both he and Cam whipped their heads in that direction. It was only a few seconds before a wailed cry followed the snap, and Daniel was off at a run before he could even think about it. Cam was right on his heels. They barely registered Carolyn and Vala running out onto the porch.

Reaching the edge of the tree line, Daniel dashed in, following the direction of the shrieking sobs coming not far from within. He quickly came to a small incline, looking down to see the children at the bottom. Brian stood a short distance from the girls, Cassidy looked a little terrified and pale, and Hayden - Hayden was the one crying.

"Hayden!" Daniel practically skidded down the slope. He rushed to her side, kneeling down in front of her. Her cheek and chin were scraped up badly, blood slowly pooling on the wounds. A small trickle of blood was coming out of her nose.

Cam was right behind Daniel coming down the incline. He looked at the sobbing little girl, then turned a glare between his children. "What the hell happened?!" He shouted over Hayden's shrieking. It was obvious from their faces that they were too scared to tell him anything right then.

He snapped his finger and pointed in the direction of the house. "Home..." Brian and Cassidy didn't budge. "_Now!_" Cam barked the order.

Daniel looked up as the other kids trudge home, frightened, then back at Hayden as she continued to cry. He pulled her into his arms and stood up. She wrapped her arms around him, sobbing harshly against his neck.

"Shhh, it's okay." He soothed, looking at Cam as the other man came to stand next to him.

"She alright?" He whispered to Daniel.

Shrugging, Daniel moved to carry her gently up the incline. He continued to whisper comforting words in Hayden's ear. "It's alright, Hayds. I'm right here and Uncle Cam is too, and we're gonna make it all better."

Hayden just continued to sob against him as they made their way back to the house. Vala was practically in tears standing just outside of the tree line.

"Oh god, is she okay?!" She rushed towards Daniel, her hands shaking a little.

Daniel nodded, despite not having a chance to get a good look at Hayden's face yet. "Hayden, you wanna go to mommy?" The little girl just shrieked and clung tighter to Daniel. "Okay, that's a no."

"Hurts..." Hayden sobbed loudly as Daniel quickly carried her toward the house.

Vala nodded, keeping her eyes on her daughter's as she walked behind Daniel. "I know, sweetheart." It tore her up to see Hayden bleeding and crying and in pain. "But we're gonna make it better."

Carolyn moved off the porch to join them. "There's a first aid kit in the master bathroom." She said to Daniel, rubbing a hand over Hayden's back. "Vala can show you."

"Yeah..." Cam stepped onto the porch and came to stand menacingly over his kids. "Carolyn and I'll stay out here and find out how this happened."

Vala and Daniel didn't wait around to see what went down. They quickly headed inside to the bathroom, Hayden crying all the way. Once inside, Daniel placed the girl down on the counter.

"Hayden, I need you to calm down." He said softly, pulling the leaves and twigs out of her hair. "You have to stop crying so I can make sure everything's okay."

Running a gentle hand over her daughter's head, Vala tried to calm the little girl. "It's okay, Hayden."

Slowly, Hayden's hysterical sobbing dimmed down to silent hiccupping. She stared out through watery grey eyes as Daniel reached out a hand to her face. She pulled back, scared of the pain he might cause.

"Hayden, I need to check your face." Daniel told her slowly.

Hayden shook her head. "It hurts." She said through a quiet sob.

Stroking her hair again, Vala looked down at her. "I know it hurts, hunny. We can make it stop hurting, but Daniel needs to see your face."

The little girl sniffed, tears still silently falling from her eyes. Finally, she nodded.

Daniel smiled reassuringly. "I promise I'll be gentle." He reached out his hand, turning her head so he could look at her grazed cheek. It was a rather deep laceration that ran down to her chin, but it was nothing a little peroxide couldn't heal. Carefully, Daniel then brought his fingers up to her nose. Gently, he pushed against it.

Hayden cried out and he flinched in guilt.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He whispered. Daniel pulled her closer to him, careful of her injuries, as she started to sob again. "I won't do that again..."

Vala knelt down, gazing with concern at Hayden. "Is it broken?" She whispered in Daniel's ear.

He shook his head. "I don't think so - I think it's just tender and I scared her."

"Good...to the not broken thing, that is." Vala sighed in relief. She really didn't want to have to deal with a hospital bill. Reaching out, she took Hayden from him.

She rested her uninjured cheek against Vala's chest. "It hurts, mommy."

Vala rested a hand on the back of her head. "I know, Hayden. I know - we're gonna make that all better right now." She looked down at tear-filled eyes. "Is it okay if Daniel holds you for a little while, while I clean your owies?"

"Will it make it stop hurting?" Hayden whispered.

"Oh yeah..." Daniel reassured her, taking her in his arms even though she'd never agreed for him to do so. He moved over to the toilet, and sat down with Hayden balanced on his leg.

Vala pulled open the cabinet below the sink and took out the first aid kit. Opening it, she pulled out the peroxide. She stepped over to the closet and got herself two washcloths. After wetting one in the sink, she knelt before Hayden and Daniel.

She looked intently at her daughter. "Okay, this is gonna hurt a bit." Vala hated the fearful look that passed over Hayden's face. "But I gotta make it hurt to make it feel better, do you understand?"

Hayden nodded, sniffing. "Will you be mad if I cry?" ''

"No, Hayds." Vala laughed gently, kissing the little girl's forehead. "It's okay to cry if you need to." She placed the peroxide and dry washcloth on the floor, then held up the wet one. "Here we go."

Bracing herself back against Daniel, Hayden squeezed her eyes shut as her mother softly wiped away the blood on her cheek and chin. She couldn't help from flinching as Vala pressed the cloth underneath her nose.

"This is gonna sting, sweetheart." Her mother's voice said regrettably. A second later, another cloth was placed to her cheek. Hayden whined out in a high pitched tone as it started to burn along her face.

Daniel pulled her farther up his leg and pressed her head against his chest. "I know it burns." He made small strokes in her hair with his fingers. "Just take deep breaths. I promise it'll go away."

Vala continued her ministrations, watching as Hayden squeezed Daniel's hand as she tried to breathe through the pain like he'd instructed.

"That's it, Hayden." He whispered in her ear. "You're being so good about this, baby."

Grey eyes shot up for a moment at the endearment. Daniel didn't seem to notice he'd used it, and Vala had to admit it seemed to fit in terms from him to Hayden. Somehow, it made the situation a little easier to handle.

"Okay, I'm done." Vala said after a moment. Daniel slowly eased Hayden off him, but the little girl still held on to his hand firmly.

She blinked out several more tears, sniffing as she did so.

Vala smiled at her. "All better now?"

Slowly, Hayden shrugged. "It still burns a little bit." She brought her free hand up to wipe away the tears on her uninjured cheek.

"That's okay." Vala leaned in and gave her a small kiss.

Daniel leaned his head down close to Hayden's. "That means it's working. The burning will stop in a few minutes." He lifted her up and turned her around in his lap. "Let me see..." Blue eyes scanned the now clean wounds slowly. "Looks better already."

Moving to kneel beside him, Vala brushed back a stray strand of her daughter's hair. "Wanna tell us what happened?"

"I fell from a tree." Was all Hayden said as she looked down at her left hand. She just began to realize it was stinging a little. "It hurts."

Both adults looked down at her hand.

"Guess you scraped your hand too, huh?" Vala picked up the two washcloths again, using just the wet one, then the peroxide-soaked one. Hayden winced a little, but didn't whine this time.

A knock on the door had them looking up. Carolyn stood in the doorway, watching with mild anxiousness. She looked at Hayden. "You okay, munchkin?"

The little girl nodded, moving comfortably into Daniel's embrace as he stood up with her in his arms. Vala followed, snatching up the peroxide as she went. Daniel stepped over to the doorway while Vala cleaned up the small mess.

"She's a little scraped up, but other wise okay." He smiled at Hayden, playing gently with her fingers on her injured hand. She giggled softly, sticking her thumb in her mouth.

Carolyn examined her cheek and chin, then gazed at Hayden's little nose, which was already beginning to bruise. "I've got some Children's Tylenol in the kitchen." She nodded back the way she came, and the group moved that direction.

"Can I go back and play?" Hayden asked curiously, pulling her thumb out.

Vala laughed a little. "Oh no. You're gonna take some medicine and rest, little one. You've had enough playing for one day."

Carolyn looked back at her 'niece' as they all moved into the kitchen. Cam's heated voice could be heard filtering in through the cracked-open sliding glass door. "And I don't think you have to worry about missing out on any fun..."

"Are Cassidy and Brian in trouble?" The little girl wondered out loud, staring out at her Uncle Cam ranting at the two children.

Pulling the Tylenol out of the cabinet, Carolyn popped open the top and handed two to Daniel. Vala busied herself with getting something for Hayden to drink it down with. "Let's just say there won't be anymore playing in the woods for some time."

Vala pulled the aluminum wrapper off a juice bottle and took the pills from Daniel. She held them out to Hayden. "Open."

Opening her mouth, Hayden let her mother place the pills on her tongue.

"Drink." Vala handed her the juice. Hayden did as she was told and drank down the juice, the pills going with it.

Hayden lowered the juice from her mouth. "I'm sorry I got them in trouble."

Shaking her head, Carolyn led the way back towards the backyard. "They should be sorry they got you hurt."

"Are they?" Daniel asked hesitantly, not wanting to overstep his boundaries with her children.

Cam's shouting got louder as Carolyn opened the door. She put on a hard face and stalked out, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis. "They better damn well be sorry."

Two little faces looked up at Daniel, Hayden, and Vala, one looking significantly more guilty then the other.

"_What_ did I just tell you?" Cam demanded, glaring specifically at Brian.

The boy dropped his gaze to the floor, mumbling something.

Cam shook his head. "I _know_ they didn't hear that because _I_ didn't hear it." He crossed his arms. "Say it again."

"I'm sorry I broke my promise and let Hayden get hurt." Brian said louder this time, never breaking eye contact with the floor.

Carolyn glanced down at her daughter. "Cassidy?"

The six year old pouted. "But I didn't do anything!" She whined, fresh tears coming to her already puffy eyes.

"Cassidy LeAnn Mitchell!" Cameron barked.

Cassidy crossed her arms huffily. "Sorry Hayden." She muttered, glaring up at the girl in Daniel's arms. "Spoiled brat."

Laughing harshly, Cam squatted down in front of her. "If you think that's gonna get you sent to your room, you're sadly mistaken. Daddy's not as stupid as he looks." His smile was smug at the hateful look his daughter gave him. "You're gonna sit outside with the adults, with no toys, no games, no playing." He looked up at Brian. "Both of you."

Cam stood back up. "Am I making myself clear?"

Both children nodded and moved over to the seats their daddy was pointing to.

"Am I a spoiled brat?" Hayden asked hesitantly, tears in her eyes once again.

Vala shook her head. "Not at all, baby."

------

Crisis averted, the adults got back to making the food and enjoying their drinks. Hayden sat on the lawn couch, quietly enjoying the attention she was getting from all of them.

Occasionally, she glanced behind her seat at Cassidy and Brian in time out. Part of her felt bad, but most of her was pretty happy about it. That's what they got for insisting she climbed the tree to prove she was just as cool as they were.

Finally, it was dinner time, and everyone took their chairs around the low table. Carolyn brought two plates over to her kids, telling them that if they wanted more they'd have to ask first. Hayden sat resting back against Daniel, silently eating the chicken he pulled apart for her.

"I am..." Carolyn smiled lazily at the site of the two across from her. "Woman enough to admit when I'm wrong."

Cam dropped his plate down on the table dramatically, and flung his hands up in the air. "The apocalypse is a'comin'" He shouted loudly. "Carolyn Mitchell has just thrown in the towel and admitted she was wrong - everyone run for the hills!"

As the others laughed, Carolyn playfully smacked her husband on the arm. "Shut up, asshole! God, you are so obnoxious when you're drunk!"

He turned a dopey grin on her. "And you'll agree to anything when you are." Cam winked at her, taking a pull from his fresh beer.

"Not anything." Carolyn winked at Daniel and Vala, who laughed again as Cameron's mouth fell open.

Daniel shook his head, drinking from his own fresh beer. "Lord help us if we end up like these two..." He whispered to Vala, but loud enough so Cam and Carolyn could hear. She snorted into her wine glass while he leaned forward to place his bottle down.

Devouring his food, Cam grinned. "You might as well accept the fact, Danny-boy. Cause you're gonna be over here a lot more from now on." He picked up his bottle between his palms and drank from it carefully.

Resuming his task of picking apart the chicken so Hayden could eat it, Daniel placed a piece in his mouth. "Well, the food is definitely worth it." He looked down at the child in his lap. "You like the chicken, Hayds?

She nodded, taking another piece.

"Of course she likes the chicken!" Cam mumbled around the food in his mouth. He sat up and leaned over in his chair towards his wife. "We are a family bred of southern cookin'..."

Carolyn sipped her wine, smiling affectionately towards Cam. "Your mama did teach me a few things..." She leaned over enough to take his mouth in a passionate kiss. He muffled something into her mouth, climbing out of his chair and into hers with her.

"And everyone wonders why they have two kids..." Vala whispered into Daniel's ear, resting against him.

He smiled and whispered back to her. "It's that southern cookin'."

Vala snorted, drinking the last dregs from her glass. "Time for a refill..." She patted his shoulder, slowly rising from the couch. He reached out and placed a hand on her hip as she swayed just a little.

"You okay?" He laughed, caressing her a little.

She nodded, giving him a sweet smile. "I'm good." Vala carefully turned on her heels and sauntered around the couch. Leaning down, she snaked one arm down his chest and the other around his neck gently as she held her empty glass.

"Actually..." She whispered in his ear. "Knowing these two, they'll start having sex right here on the porch. Maybe we should take our leave..."

Daniel turned his head a little to gaze at her. "Got other plans?"

Vala smiled, shrugging a little. "Munchkin's gonna go to bed and I _really_ need to take a shower..."

The chicken in his fingers dropped to the plate. "Okay, since you guys seem busy..." Daniel said hastily, placing his plate on the table in front of him.

The kissing pair broke apart. "Aw, ya'll don't have to go just yet." Cam said. Carolyn smirked at the look of insistence she saw in Vala's grey eyes.

"Hunny, I really think they do..." She said, never breaking eye contact with her friend.

Cam looked at her, slightly baffled, then at the two across the table. It didn't click until Daniel drained his beer in one swift pull, raising his eyebrows for a quick second at him. "Oh! Oh, yes, right." He clumsily pushed out of Carolyn's seat and stepped around to Daniel as the young man lifted a drowsy Hayden up with him.

"Don't worry about the mess here...we'll have the kids help us." Cam grinned cheekily. "We'll walk you out."

Carolyn made her way over to her husband, leaning heavily into him. "Stumble is more like it." She turned a look on the kids. "If you take all these dishes to the kitchen for mommy and daddy, I might not ground you two."

Like lightning, Brian and Cassidy were rushing the dishes inside as the adults made their way to the door.

"Thanks for inviting us over." Daniel said from the front porch, smiling as Cam wrapped a hand around his wife's waist. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she leaned into him. "And just...thanks."

Cameron nodded. "No problem."

Vala, leaning up with her chin resting on Daniel's shoulder, arms wrapped around his waist, smiled at Carolyn. "Mission accomplished."

"Most definitely." Carolyn mumbled contently from her husband's chest. "Call you tomorrow?"

The young woman nodded and laughed. "Late tomorrow, from the state of things tonight."

Carolyn simply smiled and closed her eyes, bringing her arms down to wrap around Cam's chest.

"I think that's your exit cue." He laughed, nodding a goodbye to Daniel. "Night, man - Make sure you keep an eye on Hayden's face. Call us if anything changes."

Daniel nodded. "We will - Night." He turned to leave, Vala still firmly attached to the back of him. The sound of Cam calling out to him had him stopping halfway down the driveway.

He turned to look back up at the couple in the doorway. "Yeah?"

"Welcome to the family." Cam grinned.

------

"She asleep?" Vala whispered from her spot behind Daniel, arms still latched around his waist. It was a difficult way to walk, but it beat falling off the sidewalk in her high-heel boots simply because she had a good buzz.

Daniel nodded, brushing a soft hand over Hayden's hair. "Out like a light." Even in the dim street

lights, he could see the dark red scrapes on her face. "I think that little accident took a toll on her." He turned up the driveway to Vala's house.

Laughing humorlessly, Vala let go of him and sauntered her way up to the porch steps. "Took a damn toll on me." After two attempts, she got the key in the door and unlocked it. "I heard that scream..."

"I know...It about killed me." Daniel said as he moved past her and carried Hayden to her bedroom. Vala's footsteps traveled down the hall behind him, clicking back a minute later. She stepped into the room and handed him a box of large bandages. "Thanks."

While he gently covered up the wounds on her daughter's face, Vala sat down on the edge of the bed and started to take off Hayden's sneakers. As she finished, her attention drifted to the way Daniel tenderly brushed his finger's through the little girl's hair as he finished as well.

"She's falling in love with you." Vala whispered to him. Surprised blue eyes turned to look into honest grey. "I'm falling in love with you." She admitted, reaching a hand out to stroke his cheek. Leaning in, Vala placed a short, but passionate kiss to his lips.

"I'm gonna go take a shower..."

Daniel didn't think anyone could make that sentence sound more suggestive then she had. Still, it took a minute for him to follow as he was still slightly shocked by her admission. When he did finally follow, he found her in her bedroom, illuminated by the light from the adjoining bathroom. She was sliding out of her jeans slowly. Her shirt and bra had already been tossed to the floor carelessly.

He stepped up to her as she stepped out of them and swayed just the slightest bit. His strong arms wrapped around her slender waist.

"Looks like you need some assistance, ma'am." He murmured seductively in her ear from behind.

Vala purred deep in her throat. "And what makes you say that, sir?"

"The half a bottle of wine coursin' through your system says that..." Daniel spun her around. "And as a good boyfriend, I can't let you shower under the influence..." He grinned mischievously. "At least not alone." The words were whispered just above her lips.

Unable to take the electric tension building between them, Vala crashed her lips to his fiercely. Daniel worked his hand around the side of her neck and up into her messy black hair. Moaning with pleasure as his tongue battled it out with her own, Vala tugged up the edges of his t-shirt.

Daniel stepped back from her, ridding himself of the material quickly. He gazed at her nearly completely naked body, panting slightly. His needy gaze found hers to be just as lusty as his own.

"Damn, you're beautiful." He said appreciatively.

Vala stepped up to him, taking off his glasses. "Prove it to me." She tossed them on the bed.

Again, their lips met in a heated kiss as Daniel lifted her up. Vala wrapped her legs around him, cupping his face with her hands. Her black hair cascaded around them as he carried her into the bathroom, closing the door behind him with his foot.

Daniel stopped at the edge of the tub, placing her back down on the floor. She continued to kiss him as he leaned over and turned the hot water on high.

Vala's hands found their way to the belt on his jeans. "Off...now." She mumbled between kissing him, reluctantly breaking the lip-lock to look down at what she was doing. Her footing faltered a little from the combination of the wine and the sensation of Daniel's moist lips on her neck.

Quickly, she undid the belt and slid the edge of his jeans over his hips. Daniel finished the rest of the way, stepping out of the heavy material. He picked her up once more, stepping over the edge of the tub.

The extreme heat of the water beating against them only added to the intensity of the moment. Vala gasped in painful pleasure as Daniel practically slammed her back against the wall just below the stream of water. Steam was already starting to engulf them.

She rested her head back against the tile, panting heatedly as Daniel placed suggestive kisses to her chest inches away from her breasts. "Tell me it again..." Clouded grey eyes stared down with such intensity at Daniel.

"You're beautiful." Daniel repeated truthfully, matching her gaze with his own before devouring her lips with another kiss.

------

Steam trailed them out of the bathroom as they kissed their way over to the bed. Vala fell back onto it as the back of her knees connected with the edge. Daniel leaned down on his arms over her, smiling. He placed another soft kiss to her lips.

"Think you can get me a shirt..." She whispered to him, running her finger over his damp chest.

Daniel nodded and stepped over to the chair that was fast piling up with his clothes. He snatched one from the top and turned to see Vala up on her knees on the bed, waiting at the edge for him. Handing her the shirt, he waited for her to pull it on before wrapping his arms around her waist.

She rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his neck. "I meant what I said before..." Vala whispered in his ear, fingers playing in his hair. She pulled back and glanced at him with a small smile. "In Hayden's room."

Daniel accepted the kiss she leaned up and gave him, then watched her crawl up the bed and scurry her way into the sheets. Her grey eyes matched the smile on her face as she patted the spot behind her.

"Come on." Vala encouraged, not bringing up the fact that he hadn't said a word since they'd finished 'showering'. Daniel slowly climbed onto the bed. He found his way in between the sheets, spooning up to her back.

His arm came to rest over her stomach, fingers taking Vala's comfortably. She settled back into his warmth easily, not dwelling too much on his silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable one, just an unusual one considering the nature of how they'd just spent the last hour.

Daniel watched her eyes close in preparation for sleep. A content smile spread across his face, and he leaned down to kiss her temple. "I love you, too." Daniel finally whispered to her, having decided to take the risk of saying the heavy words so early in the relationship.

Eyes still closed, Vala smiled as her heart swelled with relief and hope for what was to come.

**A/N: A nice LONG chapter...with a lot going on in it. Vala and Carolyn make up (two weeks is far too long for BFFs...I can't imagine going two weeks without talking to mine!), Cam and Daniel bond a little, Daniel really starts falling into the 'parent' role, he and Vala have hot shower sex...and then they say those three important words. It took me one full day to write this whole thing - insanity! Anywho, one side has come to see the joy that is there relationship - now what about the other? Jack and Sam will be making their grand appearence in the next chapter! Yay!**

**So go on and review...it'll spur the brabbits into action! Plus, everybody LVOES reviews ;D!**


	8. Company Is True

**Get ready for a nice little plot twist! -innocent grin-**

**Company Is True**

"It's itchy." Hayden whined, kicking her foot against her seat.

Grey eyes turned on her from the passenger seat. "Don't touch."

The little girl glared at her mother. "Mommy!"

Vala pointed a finger at her. "Ah! Do _not_ touch it... It's starting to heal, which is why it's itching."

Pouting, Hayden turned her gaze out the window. It only took a minute before she whined and slapped her hand anxiously on the seat beside her. "Mommy..."

"You can't scratch it, baby." Vala said sympathetically. "It will only make things worse." She looked at Daniel in the driver's seat as her daughter whined again. "A little help here?"

When he did nothing but continue to stare out at the road, Vala leaned over and tapped his shoulder.

Daniel breathed in deeply and looked at her. "Huh?"

She gave him a slightly concerned look. "Hayds is complaining."

Blue eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, catching Hayden's gaze in the reflection. She pleaded to him with her eyes, bouncing where she sat. Daniel shook his head. "No, Hayden."

"Wow, that was...amazing." Vala muttered sarcastically as Hayden continued to whine and fidget. Her grey eyes stared intently at him. "What's up with you?"

He looked at her a moment. "It's..." He shook his head, returning his gaze to the road. "It's nothing."

Vala reached out and lightly ran her finger over the hair behind his ear. "Daniel."

Sighing, he gave her another quick look. "I'm nervous."

She swallowed thickly at the admission. "Why?"

Daniel heard the anxiety in her tone and glanced at her. He offered a reassuring smile, though it faltered a fraction. "It's not you...It's definitely not you." Blue eyes found the road again. "The fact that I have to admit to lying for nearly two months to my best friend, which is all my own doing, is what's making me nervous."

"I'm sure he'll understand." Vala offered.

He laughed sarcastically. "You don't know Jack O'Neill - trust is a very, _very_ important to him, especially in my case."

Vala frowned at the troubled frown that creased Daniel's features. It was filled with a pain that ran too deep to be just due to his relationship with her. It piqued her curiosity, but she clamped down on questioning him instantly. The last thing she needed was to interrogate him when he was so uptight.

"We're here." Daniel announced suddenly, turning his truck onto a driveway for a house that made hers look like a motel room. Not that her house was very big to begin with. Still...

"Holy crap!" Vala gawked at the two story 'American dreamhouse.'

Hayden blinked at the size of it. "That's a big house, mommy."

Vala nodded, taking in all of it. "This house..." She looked from the large wooden front door, to the giant windows that branched out on both sides from the entryway. Her gaze drifted upward to the second story, then to the roof. "I mean, I thought Cam and Carolyn had a big house-"

"They do have a big house." Daniel laughed gently, the girls reactions having brought him out of his funk for a moment. "And so do Jack and Sam." He shifted into park and turned the ignition to off. "They've put a lot of hard work into this house."

She nodded. "It shows." Vala looked at Daniel suddenly. "God, are they rich? Did I under dress for this barbeque thing? Can Hayden be here?"

Reaching out to take her hand, Daniel placed his other on her cheek. "Hey, relax." He waited until Vala took a deep breath and focused on him clearly. "No, they're not rich. They are just a normal, loving family like Cam and Carolyn. That said, you look fine and Hayden is more than allowed to be here." He looked back at the little girl. "Charlie will be happy to have someone to play with today."

"Charlie's your... godson, right?" Hayden asked curiously, struggling with the word as her finger poked the healing scab on her face.

Daniel reached back and pulled her hand away. "Yes, he's six and very sweet."

Leaning towards him, Vala whispered in his ear. "Of course you're not a five year old girl - he's got cooties."

To confirm the point, Hayden nodded and pulled her hand out of Daniel's. He looked back and forth between them, smirking after a moment.

"I guess I've still got a lot to learn, huh?"

Vala nodded and kissed him affectionately. "We're willing to keep you anyway."

Daniel smiled, his gaze drifting out of the car. The smile turned to a grin, and he quickly unclipped his seatbelt and jumped out of the truck. Leaving the door open, he made his way around the vehicle and a short way up the walk just in time to swoop a laughing little boy into his arms.

Slowly, Vala managed to help Hayden out of her seat and get her own belt undone while watching the exchange.

"Hey, kiddo!" Daniel grinned, hugging Charlie close to him.

The boy hugged back eagerly. "Uncle Danny... I haven't seen you in forever."

Daniel laughed and pulled back a little. "It was just two days ago, silly."

"That's forever!" Charlie corrected with a slight scowl that was very reminiscent of his father's. It quickly faded as young brown eyes drifted to the two people getting out of the truck. He pointed at them. "Who are they?"

"I was wondering the same thing..." A female voice said playfully. Daniel turned slightly to see past Charlie, finding Sam walking up to them. She reached out and took the boy from him. "Hey Daniel."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Hey Sam." Daniel turned back to face Vala and Hayden standing nervously by the passenger door. He walked up to stand next to them. "This is Vala Malduran and her daughter, Hayden Johnson." He smiled at Vala and Hayden. "Guys, this is Sam and Charlie O'Neill."

Sam gave a friendly smile to the two. "It's nice to finally meet you two." She winked at Daniel. "I would say he's talked nonstop about you guys, but we haven't seen enough of him lately..."

"She's definitely not lying." A gruff voice had all of them turning their attention up the walkway. "I'm wondering if he's even coming home at night anymore."

Rolling his eyes, Daniel leaned into Vala. "That's Jack."

Jack wrapped his arm around Sam's waist. "Oh, that's all I get? 'That's Jack'?" He smiled at Vala and Hayden. "Hello ladies." Brown eyes found blue once more. "Daniel, you failed to mention you were bringing company."

Daniel ignored the surprised look Vala shot him, not owning up to the fact that he hadn't told her that he'd never told them. "Must have slipped my mind."

"Maybe if you were here like you _used_ to be..." Jack fixed him with a significant look.

Sighing, Sam stepped out of Jack's embrace and placed Charlie down. "Why don't you lead Hayden around back, okay?" The boy nodded, and Vala nudged Hayden forward. As the two children made their way around the house to the backyard, Sam stepped up to Vala. "Come on, we can properly introduce ourselves."

Vala gave Daniel a look. "Yeah, okay." She leaned up and placed a soft kiss to his lips. "If you need rescuing..." She whispered so only he could hear.

He closed his eyes and stroked her cheek. "Thank you." Daniel gave her another small kiss and reluctantly let her walk out of his grasp, the hand holding hers falling after she walked out of reach.

"Be nice." Sam whispered strongly to her husband as she passed him as Vala fell in step with her.

Jack gave her a smile. "Don't worry, girls. Just need Danny's help with some things inside..." He looked at his friend, who squirmed slightly under his gaze. "If he's not too busy to help?"

Shaking his head, Daniel held his hand up towards the front door. "Nope, I'm all yours."

Jack nodded curtly and tried to keep from stalking up to the door. Daniel slowly followed, staring at the stones that passed under his feet as he walked.

Vala watched him go with concern, sharing a look with Sam. She may have just met the woman, but she could tell as she looked in her blues eyes that she felt bad for Daniel too.

"Don't worry." The blonde offered. "Jack is Daniel's best friend...he would never hurt him."

**A/N: So yeah, that plot twist is coming up in the next chapter, but this one hinted at it. So Daniel has finally 'fessed up'...wonder how Jack is going to take it? (heh!)**

**As always, reviews are LVOE (I know I haven't replied to any in a millenia...all of you who read my fics know I'm bad with that...but I don't delete them from my inbox until I replied, so they're all neatly saved in a folder. My goal is to get replies all out to my reviewers within the next week...that IS MY GOAL!)**


	9. Death In Judgement

**So here it comes...the plot twist!**

**Death In Judgement**

Daniel flinched slightly as Jack slammed a plastic salad bowl on the counter in the kitchen. It was obvious his friend had quickly figured it out and was extremely pissed.

Yet was doing a bad job of trying to look calm.

"So, you and Vala look..." Jack opened up a cabinet, then slammed it closed a moment later. He turned near-furious brown eyes on Daniel. "Close."

The younger man nodded. "We are."

Jack failed to look okay with the admission as he turned his full attention to his friend. "And yet, here I am surprised to find out that you two are still an item. It's amazing, cause I could have swore you told me you had decided to slow things down - that you'd dated only a few times."

"We have technically only dated a few times." Daniel said quietly, looking to the floor.

Shaking his head, Jack snatched up the salad bowl again. He threw open the fridge door, making Daniel jump out of the way to keep from getting hit. "So you aren't denying you've had sex."

Daniel watched his friend closely. "Why would I deny that? Sex is the truest expression of love two people can share-"

"Don't pull your true love crap on me, Daniel." Jack turned and pointed a package of carrots at him. "Sex is just a damn animal instinct, and you let her hook you."

Anger flared in Daniel's chest. "She _didn't _hook me, Jack." He stepped around the island and looked down at the already prepared food. "Vala and I felt we were both ready."

Jack turned back to the fridge. "Is she pregnant?"

"What? No!" Daniel said, slightly offended by Jack's words. "Why would you assume-"

"Because, for the life of me, I can't figure out why you would _lie_ to me over her." Jack's voice rose with each word. "Why would she come between you and me?"

Daniel rested his elbows down on the island. "Jack, she's not coming between us..."

"You fucking lied to me, Daniel!" Jack whirled around, throwing the bowl across the kitchen and making the younger man jump. "You think I wouldn't figure it out? That I'm too fucking dense to realize you weren't coming home for the past week?" His chest started to heave in anger as he placed his hands down on the island, across from Daniel. "Come on, man! I mean I know you like reading, but you've never spent every day you've had off for four months at the damn library!"

The younger man squeezed his eyes shut a moment. "Jack, I didn't-"

"Didn't what? Didn't lie to me?" Jack was definitely shouting now. "Daniel, please, we both know you did! And if you say you didn't, you're lying again!"

Daniel glared at his friend. "I wasn't gonna say I wasn't lying...I know I did."

Pointing a finger out the sliding glass door just off from the kitchen, Jack leaned in a little. "Did _she_ encourage this?"

"No, she didn't!" Daniel let his voice rise, leaning in as well. "I did it all on my own, this is my problem. You leave her out of this."

Jack laughed sarcastically. "She _is_ the problem!" He turned around and slammed his hand on the counter. "You are lying to me for _her_, and that's a damn problem."

He turned around and fixed a hard, yet desperate glare on Daniel. "Is she helping you use again?"

Daniel's blue eyes widened, even as he half-expected the question to come up. "How could you ask me that? How could you not trust me enough?"

"You expect me to trust you, Daniel?" Jack laughed again, even more sarcastically then before. "You've been lying to me, and the only time you have _ever_ lied to me is when you're using!"

Shaking his head, Daniel turned away. He knew he shouldn't be getting upset, but he couldn't stop himself. "I love her, Jack." He said, trying to steer away from the topic.

Jack wouldn't have any of it. "You didn't answer my question."

"And it's taken me so long to feel like this again..." Daniel continued like he hadn't heard Jack.

Voice getting louder, Jack pushed. "Answer my question, Daniel."

Daniel just shook his head. "Hayden is amazing...I've just fallen in love with both of them."

"Dammit, Daniel!" Jack slammed his hand down on the island. "Are you using again?!"

The younger man turned around. "No, you son of a bitch!" He shouted, swiping a couple things off of the part of the island in front of him. "No, I'm not!"

Jack shook his head. "I can't believe you! You've lied, you don't come home, you're ignoring your _family_ - It's just like it's been the times before!"

"What the fuck do you want from me?!" Daniel cried out. "I just _told_ you I wasn't! That should be enough for you to believe me..." He stepped away from the island, shaking his head. "I can't believe this... Jack, come on, please believe me."

The older man tried to bury his fury at the desperate look in his friend's eyes. "You've fed me that line every other time before, and I've fallen for it - and I can't do it anymore."

Daniel walked around the barrier between them, hands clasped together. "I'm not lying, Jack. I promise you. I'm not using - there's no way I would go back to that and jeopardize losing Vala and Hayden." He continued to plead to Jack with his eyes. "I'm making my own family here, and I would never mess that up."

"You fucking messed up mine!" Jack shouted, anger returning at Daniel's words.

The younger man paled. "What?"

Jack shook his head. "Don't play dumb with me, Daniel. You know what the hell I'm talking about!" His eyes had gone dark. "Sara left me because I was spending everything to help you with your damn addiction! You're the damn reason I got divorced!" Jack was failing to notice the hurt he was causing. "And you're so fucking ungrateful, lying to me about some woman you met in a damn parking lot, who's probably only using you for financial support!"

Daniel could feel himself start to tremble. "I...I don't..." He bit his lip and blinked back tears. Looking out the door, his blue eyes fell on the mass of black hair that was signaturely Vala's. "I need to go."

Quickly, Daniel made his way around the island and towards the door. He ignored Jack's shouted 'run out, like the damn junkie you are!' as he stepped outside and up to the porch table.

"Sam, I'm sorry but we can't stay any longer." He mumbled, giving her a false smile as the tears slowly started to fall. "Come on, Vala."

Vala stood up, taking Daniel's hand. "What happened?"

"Are you okay?" Sam stood up as well.

Daniel smiled again, and nodded unconvincingly. "I'll call you and Charlie...tell Jack..." His voice faltered. "Tell him I'm sorry." He pulled Vala along. "Hayden, come on, we're leaving."

The little girl turned a pout on Daniel. "But I'm not ready."

"Hayden!" Daniel snapped, making her jump. She immediately dropped the ball her and Charlie had been tossing around and made her way over to him and her mother. She wordlessly took Vala's outstretched hand.

Sam watched them make their leave, then called Charlie over. Carrying him inside, she watched her husband busy himself with trying to make a salad that would now go uneaten. Setting the boy down, she patted him on the butt playfully.

"Go play in your room." She said, giving him a soft smile as he looked at her in slight worry. Reluctantly, Charlie headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room. The moment he was out of sight, Sam turned a glare on Jack.

"What the _hell_ did you say?!"

------

Vala reached out and placed a hand on Daniel's arm. "Hunny, pull over."

"I...I'm fine." Daniel mumbled, tears silently slipping down his cheeks. He squeezed the steering wheel tighter to stem the shaking, his knuckles going white.

She squeezed his arm. "Daniel..." Vala whispered, desperately concerned by his distress. "Pull over, please."

Licking his lips, Daniel flicked on the indicator and pulled his truck to the side of the road near the beginning ends of a forest. He killed the ignition and sighed.

Vala unclipped her seatbelt and leaned closer to him. The second before her lips connected with his cheek, Daniel undid his seatbelt and hopped out of the truck. Vala scrambled after him out his side, following him around the truck.

"H-he promised me..." Daniel said breathlessly, all his emotion getting the better of him. He fell to his knees in the cool grass, trying to breathe normally. A choked sob escaped, and then he couldn't hold it back anymore. He really started to cry.

Vala wrapped her arms around him from behind, holding him tight. She didn't know what had him so upset, but she started to cry anyway. "Daniel..." She breathed into his ear.

His hand came up and gripped hers desperately. "Don't leave me...I love you." Daniel whispered through his tears. "I would never lie about that..." He couldn't stop the tears. "I wouldn't lie to you...believe me."

"I do." Vala kissed his neck softly. He sounded so frightened and betrayed. "I love you too...Love you so much, baby." She stroked his chest with her free hand. "I'm not going anywhere. Hayden and I are here for you, no matter what."

Daniel shook his head. "But you don't know..."

She bent down and pulled him back against her chest. "I'll just wait until you're ready to tell me."

Squeezing her hand, Daniel tried to stop his tears. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You fixed my tire and took a chance on me." Vala said to him.

The sound of a door opening had her looking around. Hayden had climbed out of the truck.

The girl looked at the two of them. "Mommy?"

Vala gave her a watery smile. "Come here, babygirl. Daniel needs to know you love him."

Hayden rushed over to them, moving around Daniel and throwing her arms around his neck.

He rested his face against hers, the tears silently continuing to fall.

**A/N: I made my beta cry with this chapter...she said it was one of the best I've ever done, especially in terms of Jack and Daniel...IDK about that - I was just trying to get their raw emotions across because obviously both Jack and Daniel have been scarred by Daniel's using (you'll find out what next chapter). I hope it strikes a cord with all my fellow Jack/Daniel friendshippers, and I know the scene at the end just totally plays into everyone's need for some DV. **

**Anywho, the big 'information' chapter is following - and don't forget to review!**


	10. A Dangerous Business

**(I'm kinda surprised nobody has made any mention about my chapter titles...maybe it wasn't as unique an idea as I though -shrugs- All i know is it takes a good little while to find the right one to match the content in the chapter - just ask my beta...she knows!)**

**A Dangerous Business**

"Is Daniel okay?" Hayden asked as Vala changed her for bed.

Not one to lie to her daughter, Vala shook her head. "I don't know, Hayds."

Hayden helped pull her shirt down. "Did his friend hurt him?"

Identical sets of grey eyes found each other. Vala nodded.

"Yeah, baby, he did."

The five year old lay back in her bed and tilted her head. "What did he do?"

Vala leaned over and gave her a kiss. "I don't know." She pulled the comforter up. "Go to sleep, munchkin."

"Tell him I love him." Hayden said firmly. "I want him to stay."

Smiling, Vala tapped her nose. "I will definitely do that." She stood up and moved to the door. Hand hovering over the light, she turned to look at her daughter. "Night, monster."

Hayden yawned. "Night, mommy."

Vala flicked off the light and closed the door almost all the way shut. She then made her way to the kitchen and set forth making something for her and Daniel to share. Something they both could seriously use. When she finished there, she turned off the kitchen light and opened the door to the back porch.

The moonlight illumined the figure sitting in the large cushioned chair on the porch. She made her way over to him.

"Here..." Vala murmured, holding the mug out to him.

Daniel looked up at her with slightly swollen eyes. "What is it?"

Sinking down into the chair with him, she curled into his warmth. "Irish coffee."

"Oh, well then..." Daniel brought the mug to his lips and took a slow sip. "Thank you." He said after swallowing the liquid, kissing her lips softly.

Vala reached up and stroked her fingers over his hair. "I don't know if it's my place to ask..." She looked into his exhausted eyes. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Breathing in deeply, Daniel tightened his hold on her. "If I do, I'll have to tell you everything or you'll jump to conclusions and I don't want to scare you or anything." He gave her a look that said she could back out. "It's a long story."

"I've got nowhere to be but here with you." She offered him quietly.

Daniel smiled, then took another sip from the cup to brace himself. Only a few people knew about what he was getting ready to reveal to her. "I told you how my parents died when I was eight."

She nodded, sipping from the cup still in his grasp.

"Well, of course, I was put into the foster care system. I jumped from house to house for a while before landing at this certain home. It was a young couple who were having problems having children. They decided on fostering..." Daniel pulled in another deep breath. "They wanted a toddler, and got a slightly rebellious nine year old."

"It was a nice place to live for a little while - I was there so long, I was beginning to think they might actually go through with adoption." He laughed like it was so stupid.

Vala just continued to listen intently.

"Of course things change...people die." Daniel looked into the cup, swirling the creamy liquid around. "It was after Shannon died that Michael started...drinking. She was his one true love, or something. Anyway, the drinking became more frequent - then the beating started."

She couldn't help butting in. "It was never reported?"

Daniel snorted as he drank more of the Irish coffee. "He was good at hiding it and I was too proud to admit it. Though, in the long run, I should have and risked my pride. The turning point was when he got too drunk one night and beat me so terribly, I ended up in the hospital."

"I honestly can't really remember much - actually, a lot of my memories went away from around that period in my life...several of them didn't come back. The first memory I have after the beating was waking up in the ICU...I was heavily sedated, but I remember one of the nurses arguing with this boy."

Drinking from the cup, Vala guessed, "It was Jack."

He smiled at her. "It was...his mom was one of the nurses who had treated me. He was sixteen at the time, and hated the fact that he had to spend his free time helping his mom. She had snapped at him, saying there was a poor boy spending his free time recovering from severe injuries."

"Because of the drugs, it took a while for me to realize she was talking about me. It seemed all surreal hearing this woman retell everything that had been broken or busted in my body because I couldn't feel any pain."

Vala looked at him intently. "How did you and Jack become friends?"

Laughing a little, Daniel shrugged. "He was bored and started talking to me. I think he did it because he pitied me at first - he put up with a too smart eleven year old."

"Jumping ahead a month or so, I was finally recovered enough to head back to the foster center." Daniel swallowed as he went to say his next words. "Of course the pain I hadn't felt that first night came with a vengeance, so they gave me a lot of medication - a lot of morphine."

She was beginning to put the pieces together. "How long did it take?"

Blue eyes found hers. "To what? Get hooked?"

Vala nodded.

"Happened almost instantly - that feeling of not feeling when she was saying all those things...it hit me then. And I didn't want to let it go. It helped that I'd become friends with Jack 'cause I kept going back to the hospital to see him - I started stealing the drugs from there."

Daniel stretched his neck, uncomfortable talking about his habit. "To make it simple, I got sloppy and slipped up - Jack caught me, and helped me through the withdrawal before his mom found out." He smiled warily at her. "She wanted to foster me."

"I was good and clean all the way up until the end of my senior year of high school."

Another piece fell into place. "When your girlfriend died."

He nodded. "I was in the hospital that night...and it all became too much. They left me in the operating room alone with her, to say goodbye. I saw the morphine, and the syringes, and felt the already cooling flesh of Sha're under my fingertips, and impulse took over. By the time the doctors had come back in, I was half high and had stashed several more vials."

"I tried to stop before it went too far, but of course judgment is the first thing to go when you want to get high." Daniel continued. "It got to a point where I was almost always on the drugs...I stopped eating, stopped going to classes, stopped living basically."

Vala rested her chin on his shoulder. "Were you living with Jack then?"

"Yeah...I stayed in his guest bedroom. He was married to his first wife, Sara, at the time." He looked at her. "I know Jack had begun to figure it out again, but he just didn't want to admit it. He was finally forced to admit it..."

She waited for Daniel to continue. It took him several moments to get control of himself.

He let out shuddered breath. "I was so messed up one day; I lost my balance and broke my nose against the edge of the bathroom counter. Because of the morphine, I was already coughing pretty badly and the blood dripping down my throat didn't help. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I flipped out and called Jack, then shot up some more while I waited for him to come home, just to stop the overwhelming fear."

"I was practically comatose when he got there...or so he says. I don't remember much of that day - it's all just a haze." Daniel laughed heartlessly. "You'd think that'd be enough to scare me sober, but the following week, I got high again."

Tears came to his eyes. "Sara was done with it by then. She told Jack to kick me out, send me away for good." He lifted his head and looked out at the stars. "But Jack stuck by me... It took nearly four days for the worst of the withdrawal to pass - I don't know how many times he told me to eat or changed those bed sheets after I got sick...but he was there."

Vala stroked a finger over his cheek. "And Sara?"

Daniel shrugged. "She came back when the worst passed...she was eight months pregnant at the time, so she felt she couldn't just leave. I was just through my fourth day without using, and I could barely function...I went into the kitchen that night, ashamed and guilty. Jack told me he was proud - I didn't feel the same excitement and neither did Sara."

He sniffed, thumb stroking over the rim of the nearly empty mug. "I really tried to make it through that dinner without any trouble because I knew I was already walking on thin ice in terms of where I stood with them. But I was just so weak and my hands wouldn't stop shaking...I spilled hot tea in her lap, and she flipped."

"Jack tried to calm her down, but Sara was over it all. She told him she wanted a divorce." Daniel swallowed, his voice cracking as he continued. "He took her to their room, but she said it smelled like a 'fucking junkie's waste dump.' I was so scared because they both started yelling and shouting and I knew it was all my fault. I tried to go to my room and start packing my things, but I couldn't make it that far." His lips started to tremble. "I fell to the floor and listened to them argue and cried."

Vala squeezed his arm. "You don't have to go on, Daniel."

He shook his head, then nodded. "I do..." Tear-bright blue eyes turned on her desperately. "I want you to know this...you deserve to know this. You deserve to have a chance to back out now that you know..."

"I'm not backing out." She emphasized, kissing his lips lovingly.

Daniel closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers.

She threaded her fingers through his hair. "So what happened after that?"

Sighing, Daniel settled back against his seat once more. "Uh, they stormed out not long after, Sara with a suitcase in her hand. They didn't even notice me as they went past, both of them yelling the whole time. It didn't take long for Jack to come storming back into the house. I think he had every intention of ripping me a new one and kicking me out."

"Did he?" Vala asked, taking the cup and placing it on the table in front of them.

He shook his head. "No..." His voice was barely a whisper. "I was terrified he would...I remember sobbing over and over about ruining his marriage and his life..." The tears returned, and this time spilled over onto his cheeks. "The divorce went through, and the custody battle started after Charlie was born, and I kept blaming myself."

"But he promised me every time that it wasn't my fault. That there wasn't anything I did..." Daniel cried quietly. "He promised me even when I thought I messed up. He continued to reaffirm the promise as I started to get my life back in line, as I fought through school and for my job. Either way, he promised me...and I'd finally begun to believe him...but now..."

Vala hugged him tightly. "It wasn't your fault." She stated firmly and simply. "Jack was just angry."

He held onto her with all he had. "Because I lied...he's right. I haven't done that since I was using. I don't want to mess up again...I don't think he'd give me a third chance, and I don't want to lose you." Daniel buried his face in her neck. "I can't lose you."

"You're not gonna mess up, Daniel." Vala reassured him, pulling back to look him in the eye. "I can see it in the way you look at my daughter. You look at her in a way no one ever has, not even her father. You see her and you don't want to lose her, and I don't want you to. And I won't let you." She smiled and laughed a little. "I'm not letting you go."

Daniel let out a strangled laugh and kissed her. It started off slightly heated, but quickly lost its force as the humor in the moment slipped away. He quietly pulled back and closed his eyes. He pulled in a slow, deep breath.

"I'm gonna go to bed." He murmured, rising.

She held onto his hand as he went. "I think that's a good idea..." Vala took the kiss he leaned down to give her. "I'll probably be a little while."

"Okay." Daniel placed another kiss to her forehead. "I love you."

Vala smiled softly at him. "Love you too." She watched him slowly head back inside, his shoulders drooped in extreme sadness. It made her heart ache even more now that she knew the basis behind the fight between him and Jack.

She spent the next hour or so finding things to do around the house that would keep her anger in the older man at bay. She'd only met him once, but Vala couldn't imagine how anyone could accuse his best friend of ruining his marriage. Each time she thought on it, she had to find something else to distract her. By the time she headed to the bedroom for some sleep, after checking on Hayden, it was close to two in the morning.

Quietly, Vala opened the door. Her eyes fell on the lump facing away from her beneath the covers. She smiled softly, taking in the fact that he was there, sleeping in her bed. She didn't care about the troubles in his past, but she very much cared about his future. He was her future, and Hayden's as well.

Stepping out of everything but the nightshirt that was actually his, Vala moved over to the bed and crawled under the sheets until she was firmly pressed against his back. Pushing herself up, she placed slow, passionate kisses to his neck.

Daniel stirred under her touch, turning a sleepy gaze on her. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Vala asked, kissing his cheek.

He closed his eyes, lip trembling. "For being such a mess."

Shaking her head, Vala smiled. "Everybody's a mess in some way..." She stroked soft fingers against his forehead. "Go to sleep, Daniel."

"You'll still be here when I wake up?" His voice was soft and uncertain.

Vala settled down against him and snuggled into his chest. "I already told you, baby...I've got nowhere to be but here with you."

**A/N: This is a plot twist that can definitely be touched on again down the line. It wasn't anything that was planned, but after watching Need a few weeks ago, somehow the idea of Daniel being a (former) junkie seemed to appeal to this AU's brabbit. I think it gives it a tie in to the canon of the show, but is definitely twisted in a way to match this storyline. Anywho, i've already started on the next chapter. My hope is to finish it by tonight and get it sent out to my beta, but there's no guarantee.**

**Reviews are LVOE, ofcourse!**


	11. Look After You

**Look After You**

The doorbell rang while Vala was elbows deep in soapy water in the kitchen. She cursed quietly and reached for a dish towel to dry her hands on.

The sound came again as she started to make her way to the door. Vala had to stop the automatic 'i'm coming' from coming past her lips as her gaze fell on the two sleeping on the couch. She couldn't help trailing her hand over Daniel's hair as she passed. He stirred a little at the touch, but didn't wake up.

Towel in her other hand, Vala pulled open the front door. Her mouth twitched in a curious smirk. "Oh hello."

A pair of guilty brown eyes stared back at her. "Hey."

Vala leaned on the doorframe and stared at him. "I was wondering how long it was going to take - though I am a little curious how you found my house."

"Sam finally told me she'd been in touch with him." Jack sighed, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans anxiously. It was torture taking the look she was giving him because he knew she had more power over him, at least when it came to Daniel. "Is he here?"

She threw a quick look over her shoulder, smiling. "Yeah..." Grey eyes turned back to Jack. "Come on in." Vala stepped aside so Jack could move inside.

Nervously, Jack rocked on his heals. "So where is-" He stopped as Vala put a silencing finger to her lips.

The finger then pointed towards the couch. Frowning slightly, Jack followed her as she stepped up to the piece of furniture. His eyebrows shot up a little at the sight of his younger friend fast asleep with Vala's daughter. The little girl was curled comfortably in towards his chest, her thumb in her mouth while the other hand lightly clung to Daniel's. He had his free arm securely wrapped around her tiny body, and he had his lips resting in her hair.

Vala noted Jack's reaction with a soft smile. Obviously he hadn't expected to find this when he'd come over. "Come on..." She tilted her head towards the kitchen as he looked at her following the whispered words. Whether it was out of guilt for what he'd done, or respect for the two sleeping on the couch, Jack followed.

"Hayden's been sick the past few days." Vala noted as Jack continued to stare at the couch. "She's got strep throat." That brought his attention to her. She shrugged. "Daniel's spent every moment of free time he's had with her, taking care of her and trying to make her feel better." Vala laughed gently. "Of course he's never dealt with a sick little girl before, but he's doing really well in my opinion."

Jack took a seat in one of the kitchen chairs. "And does it bother you that he's not having any alone time with you?"

She met his gaze flawlessly, knowing he was probing for answers. "Why would it bother me? I've been doing this for five years, practically on my own, and now there's someone here who is willingly helping me take care of her." Vala looked to the couch. "I don't ask him to do any of it - Daniel just does."

Her grey eyes turned on him with such intensity. "She loves him - that would never bother me."

"I really need to talk to him..." Jack said urgently, not ready just yet to be hearing those words from a woman he barely knew.

Vala nodded. She'd made her opinion known to him, and that's all she could really do to help Daniel's case. "Okay." She moved back over to the couch, Jack standing back a little from her. Vala gently patted the part of Daniel's jean-clad butt that was open to her. "Daniel."

He shifted at her touch.

"Wake up, babe." She hit him just a little harder. "You've got company."

Daniel shifted again, opening his eyes as he turned his head to glance up at her. "What?" He mumbled, still half asleep.

Leaning down, Vala kissed his forehead. "Someone's here to see you."

"Me?" He yawned. "Who would be here to see m-" Daniel stopped as Jack stepped into his line of vision. Blue eyes hardened into stones and he turned back to his comfortable position. "You woke me up for this?"

Vala gave Jack an apologetic look. "Daniel, come on - he came here-"

"He came here to check up on me and drag me home and..." Daniel shook his head, refusing to go on. "I'm going back to sleep."

Placing a hand on the couch, Jack pleaded with his friend. "We need to talk, Daniel."

The younger man never looked up at him. "We did plenty of talking three weeks ago."

"Daniel..."

Daniel shifted farther away from the two. "Go home, Jack."

Stepping around the couch, Vala squatted down until she was directly in Daniel's line of sight. He stared at her blankly, though his mouth was turned down in a hurtful frown. "You need to fix this." She stated quietly, reaching out and stroking his cheek. "Come on..." Her chin jerked upward. "Get up."

After a short stare down with her, Daniel sighed and nodded. "Okay." As she stood up and headed back into the kitchen, taking Jack with her, Daniel moved to sit up. Hayden moaned as he did so. She instinctively snuggled closer to him.

"I gotta get up, Hayds." He whispered to her.

Hayden shook her head, burying her face in his chest. She made negative sounds with her thumb still in her mouth.

Daniel tried to gently push her back down. "Come on, Hayden..." She just whined louder, pushing back with as much force as she could muster. It took less then a minute before Daniel gave way. "Okay fine, wrap your arms around my neck."

The little girl obeyed immediately, opening her eyes and clinging to Daniel like he had instructed. He stood up, bracing her to himself carefully as he went. Hayden comfortably rested her head down on his shoulder as she brought her thumb back to her mouth.

"I'm thirsty." She whispered hoarsely, her throat raw and achy from being sick.

Daniel made his way into the kitchen, not bothering to look at Jack. "Oh, you are?" He replied to Hayden. He stepped over to the fridge. "Let's see what we can get you to drink in here..." Daniel peered at the contents. "There's water, milk...hey, you want some apple juice?"

From the kitchen table, Jack watched the exchange with interest as the young child nodded eagerly. With a familiarity and ease that really threw the older man, Daniel snatched the bottle out of the fridge and accepted the plastic cup Vala handed him, all while keeping Hayden comfortably balanced against him.

"We got this just for you..." He told her as he finished pouring and placed the bottle and cap on the counter. "I know how much you like it." Daniel handed her the cup as she lifted her head off his shoulder.

Hayden nodded as she took a sip. "Tastes like apples." She said with a smack of her lips.

He rubbed his nose against hers. "I guess that's why it's called apple juice, huh?" Daniel smiled affectionately at her. It dimmed as she started coughing. He took the cup from her, placing it down on the counter. He rubbed her back until it tapered off, then his hand went to her forehead.

"Headache back, baby?" Daniel asked her gently at the way she closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. Vala stopped with the dishes once more as she came to stand beside him. Hayden nodded a little to the question, still coughing some.

Blue eyes turned on grey. "Fever's gone up again."

Vala pulled in a deep breath, then put on her best mommy smile. "Come here, monster..." She took Hayden out of Daniel's arms. "It's time for more medicine and I'm thinking a bath will do you some good."

"Okay." Hayden mumbled, burying her face in her mother's neck. She didn't even look up as Daniel placed a hand in her hair and a kiss on the top of her head.

As mother and daughter made their way out of the kitchen and up the hall, Jack noticed the way Daniel's gaze lingered that direction for several moments before it turned on him. The younger man gave him a blank stare, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the fridge.

"For someone who wanted to talk, you're pretty damn quiet." He finally said as he heard the sound of the water coming on down the hall.

Shifting in his chair, Jack felt the full weight of the stare he was being given. "I was waiting to see if _you_ were even gonna talk to _me_." He admitted, his attempt at a smile withering under the cold look of betrayed blue eyes.

Daniel's face didn't soften. "I'm only talking to you because Vala asked me to." He gestured to the kitchen. "This is her house, not mine." He smiled sarcastically. "I don't have a house - you kicked me out."

Jack brought a finger up. "No, I never kicked you out. You could've come home any time you wanted."

"But why would I want to, Jack?" Daniel snapped. "Just so I could get my ass chewed out for something I didn't even do? Yeah, like that was gonna happen." He angrily stepped over to the sink and stared out the window just above it.

The older man sighed. "Daniel, you can't really blame me for what I did..."

Daniel turned hurt-filled blue eyes on his friend. "The hell I can't." He stated with anger, tears beginning to brim in his eyes. "Do you even know how what you said hit me?" At Jack's blank look, the younger man felt his chest tighten with anguish. "Do you even care?"

"If I didn't care, I wouldn't be here." Jack said, looking at the table.

A humorless laugh came from Daniel's mouth. "Why don't you rephrase that statement? We both know you're only here because Sam's not talking to you, and Charlie's starting to ask about me. It's not for my benefit, but yours." He closed his eyes, a single tear escaping unchecked. "You just don't want me to destroy another family you've made."

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but Daniel cut him off by continuing on.

"Don't even worry about trying to sound sincere and make up some fake apology." The younger man said with a false smile. "I won't make you suffer through it. Just go on home and tell Sam we're okay." He took a deep, steadying breath. "And when we're together, I'll try my hardest not to show that you honestly don't believe in me anymore...if you ever did at all."

Shaking his head, Jack held up his hand. "You know I did - do. Daniel, I've told you time and again that I've always..."

It was Daniel's turn to shake his head. "I'm not that emotional wreck of a junkie, Jack. Don't even bother trying to placate me anymore - it won't work. I know how you truly feel. I always suspected anyway." As he watched his...he didn't even know if he could call him a friend anymore...stare at him in shock, Daniel shrugged. "It's good to know I'm not wrong in everything I think and do."

"Daniel?" Vala called from the doorway, feeling bad on intruding on the conversation.

He turned his gaze to her. "Yes?" Though tears stained his cheeks, his eyes were strong and clear. Daniel was over this.

Vala tilted her head in the direction of the bathroom. "She's asking for you."

Nodding, Daniel walked towards her without even a sideways glance at Jack. He made sure his next words were loud enough for the other man to hear. "Talk to him all you want - I'm done." With that, he moved out of the kitchen and down the hall.

The words hit a nerve, and Jack turned an angry glare on the woman that had come between him and his best friend. "What makes you so damn special that you think you can split up a family?"

"I don't think that." Vala said calmly, not giving in to Jack's anger. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but the only person who's mentioned splitting up families is you - twice I might add."

Jack nodded in disgust. "Of course he told you all about it." He stood up as Vala confirmed the statement with her own nod. "Well, did he tell you how he spent the first two years of college so fucking out of it, he can barely remember even breathing? How he couldn't even get out of bed for days on end because he was so sick from _not_ being on drugs?" Jack started to pace, getting more pissed off by the fact that Vala wasn't getting upset at all.

"How I had to fight and promise, and practically sell my soul so he could stay in school after he fucked up? How I made sure he stayed safe and sober and shielded from the deserved wrath of my ex-wife, who was so close to getting full custody of my son, simply because I had an addict living in my house, that it makes me sick just thinking about it?"

Vala just watched him intently, not backing down but not stepping up either.

It made Jack even angrier. He stormed over to her. "How can you stand there looking so fucking calm?! You're letting him throw away the only good life he's ever built for himself! Why? Just so you can have some good sex and financial support?"

The words didn't even make Vala blink, but she did step away from him and over to the counter. She picked up the cup Hayden had used, and placed it in the sink.

"You're exactly what I feared would mess him up again." Jack snapped, staring at her back with a hatred that he couldn't understand. "He thinks you're so perfect and wonderful now...then you start hounding on him for money and God knows what else, and he's gonna go back to the only thing he knows that he thinks can keep him stable, and that's morphine."

He took a few steps toward her. "And you're using that manipulating little clone daughter of yours to hook him fast and quick - both of you are getting everything. A new cash cow for mommy and that little brat girl to-"

"Excuse me!" Vala barked, turning on him with a fury that had Jack closing his mouth with an audible snap. She stalked over to him, and for a second he thought she was gonna hit him. "You forget, _Jack_, whose house you're standing in right now. You also forget that, at this point in time, Daniel would easily kick your jealous ass right now if I asked him to."

She snapped her fingers like only a mother could towards the chair he had occupied before. "I highly recommend you sit down and shut the _fuck _up!"

Jack immediately obeyed, meekly stepping over to the chair and taking his seat. He couldn't meet Vala's eyes as she towered over him. Obviously he'd finally pushed the right, or in this case the very wrong, button.

"Now you're going to listen to me." Vala fumed. "Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Brown eyes snapped upwards immediately. The gaze he met was infuriated and terrifying.

Vala shook her head in disgust. "I can't believe you. I'm finding it very hard to believe how Daniel could ever find a friend in you. I invited you into my house even though I know the man I love," She noted the way Jack practically flinched at the word. "Yes, that's right - _love_," Vala repeated with emphasis. "Doesn't want you here. I wanted him to talk to you because I was expecting you to apologize to him for being such an _asshole_! I thought you'd tell him you were wrong in laying the weight of your divorce on his shoulders - a burden he carries anyway when he doesn't evenfucking need to."

"Yet you come in here, don't offer up one request for reprieve, and then decide to take your jealous anger out on me and my daughter!" Vala shrugged. "Now me - I don't care if you insult me. There's nothing you can say to me that Hayden's father, or my own mother and father for that matter, haven't already said." If it was possible, her eyes grew even darker with anger. "But don't ever presume you can walk in _my_ house and insult _my_ daughter and get away with it!"

She shook her head again. "Hayden has never done _anything_ to deserve such words, especially from someone like you who doesn't even know her. She is the sweetest little girl you will ever have the privilege to meet, and she loves Daniel." Vala's tone and eyes softened as she felt genuine hurt building up. "Why can't you be happy for both of them that they found something special in each other? That he and I have found something too?"

Jack realized this was his time to speak. "I'm sorry, but you _have_ to understand where I'm coming from." He stood up slowly, his eyes, sad and guilty, pleading with hers. "I've seen Daniel hit rock bottom and beyond way more than a friend should have to, and it scares me to know he could fall back at any time. I'm scared to come home and find him with a needle jabbed in his arm, his eyes not even sparking with recognition when he sees me."

He felt the tears pour from his eyes, but he couldn't stop. "I'm scared of him going too far, to the point where I won't be able to bring him back for another chance. He's so brilliant and it terrifies me that one little thing can cause him to throw that away."

"Daniel is strong." Vala whispered, feeling tears burn in her eyes at Jack's anguish.

Nodding, Jack closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. "I know he is. He is so strong - in everything but this." He opened his eyes. "Everyone has their weakness, and this is his. Daniel cannot fight this alone - I've seen what happens when he tries. And I'm so scared right now that you're letting him walk away from the only support he's ever had. Not scared for me, but for him." Jack shook his head. "He can't do this alone." He repeated.

Vala placed on a hand on his shoulder to offer some kind of comfort. "He won't be doing it alone. I won't let that happen, you have to believe me."

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Jack admitted on a whisper. "I don't know anything about you or your daughter, or what your intentions are. How can I believe you when the only thing you've done is cause tension between me and Daniel?"

Pulling in a deep, calming breath, Vala stepped away from him and towards the hall. When he just stood rooted to his spot, she motioned with her finger for him to follow. "Come here."

He hesitated a moment before obeying. "What are we-" Again a finger to her mouth had Jack shutting up instantly. If he knew nothing else, which was basically true, about Vala, he'd definitely be able to pin her as a mother. Silently, she led him to the doorway closest to them. Vala pointed inside.

"Take a look." She whispered.

Jack looked at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. She jerked her eyebrows towards the room and pointed again. Finally, Jack peered around her and into the room.

Daniel sat on Hayden's bed. Hayden was sitting between his legs, wrapped in a towel. She had her eyes closed, jerking back and forth gently as Daniel combed out her long, wet hair.

Brown eyes watched the way one of Daniel's large, calloused hands tenderly pulled the comb through Hayden's dark brown locks. The other stroked over each untangled part as he finished with it. Jack's ears perked as the young girl started to speak in a hoarse whisper.

"Daniel?"

Daniel continued to comb her hair. "Yeah, sweetheart?"

She sniffed, running the back of her hand across her nose. "Why doesn't your friend like me?" Jack cast a quick look at Vala, but she was wrapped up in the two beyond the doorway. Obviously this was what she'd wanted him to see.

Hands paused in their work. "Why do you think he doesn't like you?"

"Because." Hayden sniffed again, trying to clear her throat some. "He told mommy I was a little brat...I know you told me not to listen, but I heard that. Why does he think that? I don't even know him."

Daniel placed the comb down on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "Jack didn't say those things cause he doesn't like you, Hayden. He said those things cause he's mad at me because I won't talk to him anymore."

She rubbed a small hand over his. "But mommy told me talking with him would make both of you happy. But he didn't sound happy after you talked, and he said bad things to mommy and called me a brat." She sniffed, a combination of her illness and from feeling upset. "Everyone calls me that, Daniel. Am I really one?"

Turning her around in his lap, Daniel brushed a hand over still wet hair. "No, babygirl. You're not a brat...you are the sweetest, most beautiful girl I know. Don't let anyone ever tell you anything different, especially Jack." He pulled her in close to his chest. "He's good at telling lies."

"Then why are you friends with him?" Hayden sniffed, pulling back and holding the towel tight around herself.

Daniel had to think on that for a moment, but finally he smiled. "I've known him a long time. When it really matters, Jack is a very good best friend. He's always been there for me when nobody else was, even when he shouldn't have been. He's like my brother, and I love him."

Blinking in shock, Jack looked at Vala as she touched his shoulder.

"See, he doesn't hate you..." She murmured softly. "He just doesn't understand why you hurt him."

Jack stared at her, then turned his attention back to Daniel and Hayden as the girl started talking again.

"I can be here for you too." She said quietly, staring at the pattern on Daniel's t-shirt. "I know it's not a brother, but I can be like your daughter..." Hayden fiddled with her towel again. "You can love me too."

Her words took all three adults by surprise. Daniel stared at her for a moment, seeing how hesitant and scared she was. Tears falling, he picked her up and hugged her tight. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Are you kidding?" He laughed through his emotion. "Daughter is way better than brother, and there's no other little girl I'd want because I already love you, Hayden." Daniel took a deep breath, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. It felt so right now. "I love you so much."

A coughing fit from Hayden immediately broke the moment. Daniel pulled her back quickly and placed her on the bed.

He pushed her down. "Okay, let's get you dressed before you get sicker." As he stood up and moved to get her clothes, Daniel finally noticed Vala and Jack watching them. He crossed his arms and stared down at the floor.

"Daniel, I-" Jack started to say, but Hayden cut him off.

"I'm cold." She mumbled, still coughing a little.

Vala stepped into the room, picking up the task Daniel had been intending to do. He, instead, remained where he was standing, staring a hole in the floor near Jack's feet.

Sighing, Jack stepped up to Daniel. He moved to place a hand on his shoulder, but stopped as the younger man tensed considerably. Suddenly feeling like the biggest asshole in the universe, Jack dropped his hand and watched Daniel continue to stare at the floor.

"I really don't know what to say..." He finally said after pulling in a deep breath. "Sorry just seems so inadequate, but that's all I've got, so...I'm sorry, Daniel. I'm sorry that I yelled at you like I did, and that I didn't trust you when you asked me to. I'm sorry I said those things about my divorce and you being a-" Jack paused, looking a Hayden. "I'm just sorry about it all, okay?"

Daniel couldn't find any words. Never before had he heard Jack apologize so much all together. The little kid in him, the one that always turned to Jack because Jack was the only thing that had been there for so long, as well as the junkie, wanted to say he forgave him and all was good again. But the man who had stood in the kitchen earlier, saying he was done with being placated refused to budge.

Another sigh, this one in understanding sorrow, escaped passed Jack's lips. "I understand - you want me to leave. I get it now, I just wanted you to know that." His voice cracked, and he had to stop to regain his emotions. He looked up at Vala, who was trying to seem busy with getting Hayden dressed and warmed. "I'm sorry for what I said, about you and about your daughter."

Brown eyes looked at the child. "I don't think you're a brat, hunny. In fact," Jack looked at Daniel. "You're the best damn angel a guy could wish upon his friend." He smiled around his tears and finally patted Daniel lightly on the arm, ignoring the tension underneath his fingertips as he did.

"I'll see ya, kid." Jack said, turning and quietly making his way out of the room. He knew the moment he stepped out the door, and got into his car, it was done. Sure, he'd see Daniel when he came to his house to see Sam and Charlie, and get his stuff from the guesthouse where he stayed. But Jack understood he wasn't needed in the way he'd always been before - Daniel had gone and found himself a whole new place to belong, and obviously he didn't want Jack in it. Hell, the kid had lied to keep that place hidden.

As Jack left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hall, Daniel let out a shaky breath. The footfalls got quieter, and finally the sound of the front door opening was heard. Something clicked into place inside him at the noise, and Daniel whipped his head around to stare at Vala in uncertainty. He was standing there on the edge, and didn't know what to do. Just like Jack, he knew if the older man drove away, that would be it.

Vala watched Daniel struggle before her. This was the man Jack was talking about in the kitchen, the man he had pleaded to her about. The man who just couldn't do it alone. The tears glimmered bright in his blue gaze, his body shaking a little, and his lips trembling around his slightly open mouth. And suddenly, she understood as well. She'd barely nodded before Daniel raced out of the room.

He was certain Jack would be gone, but he raced anyway. Out of the hall and through the living room. Reaching the front door, Daniel pulled it open quickly and stepped out onto the porch. Jack was just stepping up into his SUV, not having noticed him come out. Daniel moved to stand near the porch steps.

"Jack?" He called out desperately.

The older man's head snapped up. He stared, slightly shocked to see Daniel standing there, obviously overcome with emotions. Jack climbed back out of his vehicle. "Daniel?" He questioned, not sure what was about to happen.

Walking down the steps, Daniel finally let the tears fall as he moved towards his friend. His arms where crossed tight over his chest. He stopped just a few feet away from Jack.

"Okay." Daniel mumbled around his tears, again not meeting Jack's gaze. This time, though, it was out of fear rather than anger. When Jack did nothing but just stand and stare at him, he started to sob gently. "Okay...okay...okay..."

It snapped Jack out of his stupor. He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Daniel. Instantly, the other man squeezed Jack tightly.

"I still need you." Daniel sobbed into his neck, desperately clinging to his friend. The past three weeks of not talking to Jack had finally caught up to him. He couldn't stop from crying out of fear and out of guilt. "Please don't leave."

Jack rubbed his hand over Daniel's hair. "I'm not leaving, kid." He rested his cheek against Daniel's head. "I'm not going anywhere." Brown eyes shifted to the doorway, where Vala stood with Hayden in her arms. Both were watching intently. Jack continued to stroke his hand over Daniel's hair as the younger man cried.

"And I promise I won't take you away from them either." He whispered, sharing a look with the woman that had so easily found her way into his best friend's heart. Something passed between them then, and both nodded in their own fashion.

Finally, they understood one another.

**A/N: So yeah, I got some not so nice comments on how the characters are acting in this series - that's it's unrealistic. Let me just say that from my own personal experiences, when a friend feels like that are being 'replaced', they get angry and jealous and fight over the stupidest things and things go way farther out of proportion then they need to. And about Jack and Daniel acting to 'girly' - I hate to break it to you, but men are allowed to cry and get upset and bitch. And let's face it, these two do an aweful lot of bitching (ie - Need, The Other Side, The Shroud, Abyss, Menace...). Considering the nature of the whole 'drug addiction', there's bound to be tears and anguish. (My whole inspiration for that plot twist came from THAT scene in the storeroom in Need).**

**I apologize if that came off harsh and defensive, but I don't appreciate my work being slammed when I put so much thought and time into it. For everyone who DOES enjoy this story and how I've molded the canon characters into these AU counterparts (stress on the AU, here), I thank you for all the reviews and LVOE you've shown Chance on Love. Really, it's truly and deeply appreciated.**

**-Pip**

**And please continue to review and give feedback...please!**


	12. Shine Out the Clearer

**Thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed this story and encouraged me to continue it. It really helped boost my moral for this fic. I never really had any intention of NOT finishing it, but all the comments I got on how wonderful an AU this is really, really helped. **

**So I bring y'all Chapter 12. The plan is there to be only 2 more chapters to follow this one...**

**--**

**Shine Out the Clearer**

"Okay, they're on their-" Jack stopped talking at the reprimanding looks Daniel and Vala shot him as he moved back into the kitchen. He hadn't realized Hayden had fallen asleep, her cheek resting comfortably atop Daniel's shoulder. "Sorry..." He said in a much quieter tone, stepping up to the pair by the stove. "They're coming."

Daniel nodded, stirring the contents on the burner with his free hand. "Sam and Charlie?"

It was Jack's turn to nod. "Yep." He patted Daniel lightly on the shoulder. "Kid's been missing you like crazy." He moved over to the table, sitting down.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Vala asked, pulling ingredients for a salad from the fridge. At the silence that followed, she looked up to find two almost identical looks of surprise turned her way. "I just mean, with Hayden being sick and all..." She emphasized with the cucumber in her hand, twirling it around some.

Vala moved over to the counter where she'd already set out the bowl and cutting board. She deposited the items on the counter and picked up the knife. "I don't want your son getting sick." Her grey eyes looked up momentarily before she started chopping into a carrot.

She diced quickly. "Carolyn has avoided this place like the plague for three days now." Vala snorted gently. "She won't even let Cam come over, she's that paranoid."

At the uncomprehending look Jack gave him, Daniel smiled. "Carolyn and Cam are Vala's friends-"

"My family." Vala interjected before going back to the salad preparations.

Daniel nodded. "Her family, and they've got two children." He set the spoon down in the holder and stepped over to the table. "Brian and Cassidy..." He eased himself into the chair closest to Jack, trying not to wake the little girl sleeping against him. "They're a handful when they're healthy."

"You don't want to be around them when they're sick." Vala laughed, having moved on to ripping up the lettuce. She dropped several shredded leaves into the bowl. She threw a playful glance over her shoulder to Daniel. "They've got their daddy's flare for the dramatic."

He returned the look. "Just daddy's now?"

Vala snickered at the comment. "I'm gonna tell her you said that."

"Should this surprise me - you tell her everything." Daniel turned a smug grin to Jack. "Of course Carolyn tells Cam everything, and Cam tells me everything, so I find out what she says about me anyway."

Jack chuckled as the phone in the living room started to ring. Vala cursed her timing once again and moved to go get it.

Daniel watched her go, smiling at the 'you're really gonna pay' look she was giving him. "Speak of the devil..." He turned his attention back to Jack. "She probably wants to know if our quarantine is lifted." Blues eyes looked down as best they could at Hayden against him.

"So you're close with her friends?" Jack asked quietly, staring intently at Daniel as the younger man looked up at him.

Wariness and defiance clouded Daniel's gaze. "Is that a problem?"

Shaking his head, Jack held up a hand in defense. "No...no." He gave his friend a significant look. "I'm just trying to fill all the holes in here - you've been dating Vala for almost three months and I'm trying to make up for lost time." He brought his hand down and stroked a finger over the worn wooden table. "Why did you lie to me, Daniel?"

The question wasn't mean or angry - Daniel could hear it in his friend's tone and see it in those brown eyes. Jack was just being curious. He took a deep breath.

"Because I know you, and I know what you think of my...choices in life." Daniel said softly. He rushed on as Jack opened his mouth to say something. "After we got into it over this the first night, I just felt it would be better if I didn't tell you - at least not until I knew it was something that was gonna last."

Jack sighed. "Daniel, you knew right away." He looked over his shoulder at Vala, who was pacing back and forth in front of the couch, talking amicably with the person on the other end of the phone. "She knew right away."

His gaze found blue once more. "That doesn't mean you had to lie." Jack sat forward a little. "You know that's one easy way to piss me off and make me suspicious."

"I was trying to do something on my own, Jack." Daniel rubbed a hand over Hayden's back as she whimpered in her sleep. "Something that you didn't do for me, or that I didn't do for a fix." He willed for Jack to understand. "Vala and Hayden are that something - I love them."

Jack tried to make Daniel see where he was coming from. "She a single mother, Daniel." He didn't know how to make the next words not seem so judgmental, so he just came out with it. "The father of that little girl could come back at anytime and that could...no, will be trouble for all of you - all of us, for that matter." Jack gauged Daniel's reaction. "Is this something worth all the baggage?"

The younger man was silent for a moment, just continuing to rub Hayden's back. Finally he looked at Jack knowingly and tilted his head a fraction. "Did you ask Sam the same question before she took on all your baggage?"

Silence settled on the two again, and for a moment Daniel thought he'd challenged just a little too far. Then Jack broke out in a surrendering smile and nodded.

"Okay, point taken." He laughed, quieting as the sound cause Hayden to jerk slightly against Daniel. She sniffed loudly and slowly her eyes opened a little.

Daniel looked down at her. "Hey sleepy head." He brought his hand to cup the back of her head. "You feeling any better?"

She shook her head drowsily and latched both her arms around his neck. "My head hurts, and my throat hurts, and my body hurts, and my nose is runny, and my eyes are tired." Hayden mumbled into Daniel's neck. "Make the sickness go away, Daniel."

Jack's heart clenched at the look of guilt that flashed across his friend's face at her plea. Both men knew the illness would go away when the virus had run its course, but that didn't make the knowledge that she was suffering any easier to bear. Especially for Daniel.

"I'm trying, baby."

Hayden sniffed, this time due to her tears. "I don't wanna be sick anymore."

Closing his eyes, Daniel rested his cheek in her hair. "I don't want you to be sick anymore, either." He looked up at Vala as she came back into the kitchen, tapping the phone against her thigh.

She gazed at Daniel with concern. "She okay?"

Daniel nodded, resuming the soothing rubbing on Hayden's back. "She's just over it all."

A sympathetic look came over Vala's face. She gently pulled Hayden out of Daniel's grasp. "I'm sorry, monster." She placed an apologetic kiss to her daughter's temple as Hayden rested her head on her mother's shoulder. Vala softly rocked her from side to side.

"Can I go to bed mommy?" Hayden mumbled, closing her eyes lethargically.

"No, babygirl." Vala denied. "You need to eat dinner before you go to bed."

Hayden whined. "But I'm not hungry." She wiped her nose on Vala's shirt. "I just want to sleep."

Standing up from his chair, Daniel stepped over to Vala and pulled her hair back a little. "Why don't we let her sleep on the couch until dinner is ready, and then after she eats she can go to bed." He brought the back of his fingers to stroke her neck.

"You know how hard it is to wake her up on a good day." Vala muttered to him. "If I let her sleep, by the time the food is ready she's not gonna want to get up and she'll be cranky. Plus it'll mean she'll be up half the night."

Daniel just shrugged. "She's cranky already."

She sighed in defeat. "Still doesn't fix the problem of her being awake all night." Vala grumbled, carrying her already half-asleep daughter to the living room.

Jack watched as Vala expertly maneuvered the little girl down onto the cushions, gently draping a blanket over her. She then knelt down and softly kissed Hayden's forehead, brushing her fingers through her hair.

"She's amazing..."

The sound of Daniel's voice brought the older man's attention back his direction. Blue eyes were transfixed with the sight of mother and daughter together. "They both are."

"They really do make you happy, huh?" He finally sighed, slouching a little in his chair. Jack had finally given into the fact that there was no point in denying it anymore - Daniel was helplessly in love.

The younger man gave him a little half smile and nod in return. He moved over to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer. Daniel handed one to Jack, then popped the top of his own. "Hayden is so adorable and perceptive..." He sighed appreciatively as he sat down and sipped from his bottle.

"And Vala?" Jack questioned, removing the cap from his bottle and taking a sip himself.

Daniel fiddled with the cap in his hand, a devious smile coming to his face. "She is exciting and fun and amazing and..."

A slender hand reached out and snatched the bottle from his grasp. "And thirsty." Vala added just as the doorbell rang. She winked at Daniel and Jack as she sipped from the bottle and strolled out of the kitchen towards the front door.

"Thief!" Daniel hollered after her before turning a scowl on Jack, who was laughing. "That's not funny." He muttered as he sank back into his chair.

Jack nodded. "It kinda is though." He pointed his finger in the direction Vala had gone. "I think I like her already..."

It was Daniel's turn to laugh this time. "Already? A few hours ago, you hated her more than your ex-wife." He looked around as Vala escorted Sam and Charlie into the kitchen entryway. "Hey you two!" Rising from his seat, Daniel stepped over to them. He gathered Sam in a tight hug.

"Daniel." Sam breathed, returning the embrace. "It's good to see you."

He released her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Yeah, phone conversations just aren't the same." Daniel smiled and looked down at Charlie. The boy was watching him silently. "Hey kiddo - Someone told me you've been missing me..."

Charlie nodded.

"Well, don't I get a hello?" Daniel asked, holding out his arms.

The little boy looked back at Vala, and pointed. "She told me to be quiet."

Daniel looked up at Vala, who was giving him an amused smile. He laughed and knelt down to scoop the kid up into a hug. "Well, that doesn't mean you can't give me a hug."

Despite his best efforts to do what he was told, Charlie started to giggle and hugged Daniel around the neck. The other three adults smiled at the exchange, and Jack stepped over to the group, leaning to place a hello kiss to his wife's lips.

"The lady told me her daughter is sick..." Charlie announced to Daniel as he braced the small boy against his hip.

Nodding, Daniel carried Charlie over to Vala. "That's right - her daughter Hayden, who you met when I came to your house last time, is sick. And this ain't just no lady..." He smiled affectionately at Vala, who was biting her bottom lip a little. Daniel reached out and took her hand with the one not holding Charlie. "This is my girlfriend, Vala."

Charlie looked from Daniel to Vala, then back again. "Girlfriend?" As Daniel nodded, smiling softly at him, Charlie frowned. "Does that mean you...kiss her?"

Laughing, Daniel nodded again. "Yeah, I kiss her."

"Ew." The boy shook his head dramatically, looking over at Jack. "Daddy, Uncle Danny _kisses_..." Little brown eyes whipped around to look at Vala, a little pointed finger following. "Her!"

Vala looked at Daniel, trying hard not to start laughing. He grinned at her, letting Jack take Charlie from his grasp.

"I know, kid." Jack said dramatically, shaking his head in mock disgust for show. "And what's worse is I think he loves her."

"Loves her?" Charlie gasped, looking back at the couple under the spotlight.

Daniel never broke his eyes away from Vala. "Oh, I definitely love her." He closed the space between them, pulling her by her hip so that she was flush against him. Vala squeaked at the action, smiling up into the playful blue gaze. His free hand came to the side of her neck, and Daniel placed his lips to hers.

Vala wrapped one arm around his neck, hand coming to rest at the back of his head. She pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss as she heard Charlie start protesting at the action. He smiled against her, hand coming around to splay across her back.

"Eww, daddy!" Charlie pointed at the two. "That's almost like when I saw you and mommy Sam on the bed!"

That was enough to break the kiss as Vala laughed into Daniel's mouth. He pulled back, mouth hanging open. She clamped her hand over her mouth, tears watering in her eyes, and both turned to look at the couple now under the spotlight, and currently blushing red.

Sam let out an embarrassed laugh and moved to take Charlie from Jack. "I thought we agreed not to talk about that, Charlie."

"But that's what they looked like, 'cept they aren't naked like you and daddy were..."

Her eyes widened, and she looked up at Daniel and Vala, who weren't doing a very good job of hiding their amusement. She cleared her throat. "I, uh… I think Charlie and I need to go have a little talk."

Vala nodded, pulling her hand down and motioning for Sam to follow her down the hall. "You can use my bedroom…we don't want to wake Hayden." She pushed open the bedroom door and gave Sam a wink as she passed. "And I would keep him away from the bathroom, unless you want to explain a whole lot more."

The blonde woman narrowed her gaze. "Yeah, thanks."

Laughing lightly, Vala headed back down the hall to the kitchen. She found Daniel had gone back to working on dinner, and had roped Jack into helping. Of course the two men were bantering back on forth about the little 'secret' Charlie had let slip.

"I don't know if I approve, Jack." Daniel said with mock sternness. He turned on his friend, dangling a wooden spoon in the older man's direction. "Having sex in front of a child could be very traumatic."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh yes – now I'm getting parenting advise from the-" He picked up a half chopped stalk of celery and chucked it at Daniel. "Master of PDAs!"

Dodging the celery, Daniel held up a finger as he straightened back up. "Hey, at least Vala and I haven't been caught in the act by the children of the house."

"At least not this house's child." Vala decided to join in on the bantering as she stepped up behind Daniel, wrapping her arms around his waist. She leaned to the right to catch the look on Jack's face, her cheek resting against Daniel's arm.

From the unsure gaze Jack was throwing their way, both Daniel and Vala could tell that he wasn't sure she was being serious or not. The couple just smiled enigmatically until finally Jack's eyes narrowed and he pointed the knife he was holding in their direction.

"You guys are messin' with me, aren't ya?"

Vala and Daniel just continued to smile, not giving any hint to whether Vala's words had been fact, or fiction.

Shaking his head, Jack turned back to putting the finishing touches on the salad. "This is just great!" He grumbled. "Now I get to deal with a girlfriend who's just as _annoying_ as he is!"

He tensed at the cheek that rested against his back. "Wait until Hayden is well again." Vala's voice reached him from behind. "Then the fun _really_ starts."

"Just peachy." Jack bitched good-naturedly, tossing Daniel a look over his shoulder.

The younger man smiled and turned back to fixing their dinner.

--

Dinner went off without any hint of the tension or aggression that had filled the same kitchen just hours before. Everyone talked, bantered, and laughed, and it didn't take Vala very long to understand why Daniel held such reverence for Jack. He was, in fact, a good man who maybe cared a little too much for his young charge, but Vala didn't think that was a bad thing.

By the end of the meal, she felt as much at home with Jack, Sam, and Charlie as she did with Carolyn and her lot. Vala was actually quite excited at the prospect of the two 'families' meeting. She had a feeling that the Mitchell's and the O'Neill's would come together quite nicely, even after all the drama that had gone down over the two that had brought them together.

Pulling the comforter of her bed up over Hayden's shoulder, Vala crouched down beside her sleeping daughter. "Got ourselves a pretty big family now, baby girl." She whispered, brushing her fingers through damp brown hair.

Vala smiled as Hayden stirred just a little at the touch then settled right back to sleep. She stood back up, leaving a kiss on the little girl's forehead as she went. Turning off the bedside light, Vala headed for the door. She left it open part of the way, and then made her way down the hall.

The soft voices of Jack and Sam in the kitchen mixed with the sounds of dishes being washed. Vala decided to leave them to it, figuring they would just refuse her help a second time, and instead headed out the door just before she reached the kitchen that led to the back porch.

Sitting in the same chair he'd been in the night he'd told her his biggest secret, Daniel was staring out at the backyard with his feet pulled up on the seat. A beer bottle dangled from his fingertips, hanging over the arm of the chair. His other hand was fisted loosely against his mouth.

Quietly, since she didn't want to startle him, Vala stepped up to the back of the chair and gently circled her arms around his neck. He drew in a deep breath at her touch.

"Hey." He whispered, tilting his head back to smile softly at her. "Hayds asleep?"

Vala nodded. "Asleep, tucked in tight to our bed, and hopefully not planning to wake up any time soon." She said the last part with her mouth pressed near his ear, her muffled words making him let out a breath of air as a laugh.

Daniel turned his attention back out to the dark lawn, letting quiet fall over the porch once more. Vala decided she wasn't going to make any progress from behind, so she released her hold on him and moved to the front of the chair. She stood directly in his line of sight, and it only took a few seconds for his eyes to meet hers.

"So you want to tell me what's wrong?" She asked, reaching a hand out to brush through his hair. "I can't imagine after the good day this turned out to be that you'd still be down."

His eyes closed as she continued to stroke her finger in his hair. "I'm not down." Vala's fingers stopped and Daniel opened his eyes to see giving him an 'I don't believe you' stare. "Really, I'm not down." He laughed, though it lacked his normal playfulness, and pulled her down into his lap. Blue eyes shined as they stared up into grey.

"Just…pensive."

Vala tilted her head and resumed her brushing. "And why is that?"

He slouched down, relaxing a little in her immediate presence and under her tender touch. "I just keep thinking how we're – I'm – going to have to tell Carolyn and Cam about my…habit."

"Your former habit." Vala corrected.

Daniel shrugged. "Still, it was a habit and a major problem nonetheless." He shook his head and looked down at a random point near Vala's thigh. "I'm just scared the trust they've given me, even though they didn't have to, is going to be lost once they find out."

His blue eyes were bright with guilt and self deprecation. "I don't want to trade your family for mine. It's not fair to them or you…" The laugh came again. "And right now, I'm regretting every time I stuck that fucking needle into my arm because each time represents another reason for them to feel disappointed in me."

"Hey…" Vala soothed, taking his face between her hands and resting her forehead against his. "We're not going to be trading any families anymore. If Cam and Carolyn can't accept your past for what it is, if they can't see you through what you were before, than there's no need for me to see them again."

"Vala…" Daniel shook his head, shame coloring the word.

Still, Vala held tight. "No, you're going to listen to me now." Daniel stopped resisting and looked her in the eyes once more. "I just made a promise to _your_ family that I would never let you lose your way again, and I mean it. If that means sacrificing my friends then so be it. I love you too much to lose you, Daniel." She felt the tears burning in her eyes. "And I don't ever want to see that utter look of abandonment on Hayden's face because you walked out on us."

She pulled in a deep breath and blinked, reigning in on her resolve. "That's never going to happen. I won't let it happen, and I know you won't either."

"No." Daniel whispered back with conviction.

Vala pulled back and smiled a little. "And besides, you have to give Carolyn and Cam a chance to listen to you before you go judging their reactions."

He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry… I'm just a little scared."

"I know you are." Vala nodded, pressing a loving kiss to his lips. She pulled back slowly, stroking a finger under his chin. "But you aren't in this alone anymore, sweetheart. I'm gonna be by your side until the day I die."

Daniel pulled in several deep breaths, and then gave her a shaky smile. "I love you." It was difficult to say with the tight feeling of overwhelming affection coming from his chest. His bottled emotions were too much to take a moment longer, and he pressed his lips to Vala's again in a passionate kiss.

From inside the kitchen, Jack and Sam watched the exchange intensely. After a few moments of eavesdropping on the intimate connection between the young couple, Sam turned and smacked her husband hard with the dish towel in her hand.

He jumped in surprise. "Hey!" Jack yelped, rubbing the spot on his arm were the damp material had struck. His brown eyes glared with shock at Sam. "What the hell was that for?"

"I _told_ you she was good for him." Sam hissed, pointing out the window with the same hand holding the towel. "But did you listen to me? No! You had to go and be an ass and just about ruin a friendship you've had for over a decade!"

Jack held up his hands and backed up as she smacked him on the chest. "I made things better, didn't I?!"

She glared at him, though he could see her playful nature poking through. "Barely…"

"I was just trying to protect him." Jack offered.

Sam's smile finally flitted to the surface. "You're too protective, Jack O'Neill." She turned back to the sink and returned to her dish drying. Her smile grew as familiar arms gathered her in an embrace.

"But I thought that's one of the things about me that turned you on." His voice was rough and devious.

Fighting her womanly desires, Sam untwined his arms from around her waist. "Be a good boy." She turned to face his pouty expression. "We can't get all frisky here."

Jack's pout grew more pronounced. "But they're 'all frisky' out there!" He whined, holding a hand past Sam's head to once again point out the two making out on the porch. He took a step closer to the sink, noticing that Daniel and managed to snake his hand up under Vala's shirt. "Hell, they're about three minutes from doing the dirty!"

Sam's hand found its way to his body again – this slap harder than the rest.

"Keep your voice down." She whispered at the wounded look he shot her. "There are children in this house, and I would hate to have to explain to Daniel and Vala why her daughter found them necking on the porch."

Jack snorted sarcastically. "Then they'll know how it feels."

A soapy sponge dangling in front of his face effectively blocked his view of the steamy scene outside. "Shut up and get back to washing these dishes."

"Yes, ma'am." Jack sighed, snatching the sponge. He went back to work cleaning the dinner plates, but not before sparing one last glance at Daniel and Vala outside. He smiled softly as they finally separated, and settled comfortably into the chair they both occupied. The way Daniel tenderly stroked his fingers through Vala's hair as she talked to him, and the affectionate smile on his face, finally let Jack feel at ease with the whole situation.

--

**A/N: Chapter 13 has already been started. There's no guarantee to when I'll actually get it finished, but it IS started. **

**And as always, Reviews are definitely LVOE!**


	13. So Small A Thing

**This is the penultimate chapter.**

**--**

**So Small A Thing**

Anxiety was eating at him from the inside out. Never before had Daniel imagined his past misadventures would come back to trouble him in such a way. He felt like he was going on trial and there was only one verdict that could be justified. It definitely wasn't a good verdict, either.

Next to him on the couch, Vala gave his hand another reassuring squeeze. She could see he was nervous, possibly even terrified, at what he was about to do. No, what they were about to do. She wasn't going to abandon him. She'd made him, and his family, that promise. Even if it meant sacrificing the greatest friends – the only family – she'd ever had, Vala would do it.

"So…" Cam crossed his arms over his chest and moved his gauging blue eyes back and forth between the couple. "What's up?"

Vala looked at him, then at Carolyn. Her friend gave her a slightly concerned look. She flashed a half-hearted smile. "Daniel's got something he needs to tell you." She announced, turning her attention back to him.

He was staring at the floor, his face a mix of shame and fear. Vala squeezed his hand again, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles for added comfort.

"Come on, baby…" She leaned in and whispered.

Blue eyes flicked sideways to glimpse at her, then back to the floor. Daniel shook his head. "I…I can't…"

Shifting a few inches closer on the couch, Vala brushed her fingers lightly through his hair. "We're already here. Cam and Carolyn are waiting, and you need to do this." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You're not alone with this anymore, remember?"

Daniel met her gaze directly after a moment, and then slowly nodded. "Yeah." He pulled in a deep breath and finally looked at the couple on the couch opposite the one he and Vala were on.

It was hard to hold their attention, with Carolyn looking so concerned and Cam looking so ominous. It was like the man already knew that Daniel had been holding something back all along, and it made the younger man feel like an even bigger imposter. Still, he kept his eyes on them as he began to speak, albeit with a little hesitation.

"This…this isn't something that's easy for me to talk about." He let out a shuddering sigh. "And it's probably going to be even less easy to hear it, especially considering all the unnecessary faith you've put in me."

Vala took a moment to jump in. "But please – hear him out before you make any kind of…judgments. He doesn't tell many people about this, so it should mean a lot to you both that he trusts you with such information."

Leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, Cam looked Daniel directly in the eye. "What information?"

Daniel swallowed and began to explain. "For several years when I was younger, and several more years just recently, I was heavily addicted to drugs…" He gave a sort of half, reluctant, nod. "Morphine, actually."

His blue eyes took in the initial reactions of the couple across from him. A scowl had slowly crept onto Cameron's face and Carolyn's eyes had widened slightly. Still, neither said a word just as Vala had requested. Daniel looked at the woman next to him. She nodded for him to continue.

"I wish I could say it wasn't a big deal, but that would be a lie." He admitted, eyes shining as he looked back at the pair. "The drug consumed me and took me to a very, _very_ dark place. If it wasn't for the love and strength of a very good and determined friend, I probably wouldn't be here now."

As their faces grew grimmer, Daniel felt his resolve slipping away. He shook his head and looked at the floor. "I'm sorry…" He whispered, standing up and pulling his hand from Vala's. Not meeting any of their looks, and ignoring his girlfriend's plea for him to come back, Daniel made for the front door.

As it slammed closed behind him, Vala moved to follow.

"No." Cam's rough voice stopped her. She gave him an uncertain glance. His face was as hard as stone as he moved to a standing position. "I'll take care of this."

Both women watched in concern as he followed Daniel outside.

--

Cam stepped onto the front porch to find Daniel leaning against the wall near the steps. The younger man, though not by much, was extremely tense and his stance screamed self-deprecation. He barely glanced over his shoulder at Cameron before turning his face away in shame.

"How long have you been off the stuff?" Cam asked, standing a few inches behind Daniel with his arms crossed.

"Four years next month." Daniel admitted quietly, still refusing to look at Cameron head on.

The older man nodded. He took the remaining steps so that he was standing next to Daniel. "And I take it there's a story as to why you got hooked in the first place?"

It was Daniel's turn to nod. He offered up nothing else in response, so Cam continued on.

"Yep, there's always a story…" He said conversationally, bobbing his head up and down a second time. "My dad definitely had one."

Wide blue eyes turned on him in surprise. "Your dad was an…"

"Addict?" Cam ventured, and saw Daniel give a sort of half nod. "Yeah…" He looked away from Daniel, out at the dreary day before them. It seemed the weather felt it should match such a day full of admission. "Happened after he lost his legs. He got hooked on pain killers. I actually think he might've messed around with morphine for a while…"

He gave his friend a significant look. Daniel blushed and dropped his gaze to the porch.

Cameron continued. "Took him a long time to clean himself up, and he had lots of setbacks." He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "My relationship hasn't really been the same with him since then, but we're back to talking on a regular basis…"

"Look, it may not be the same thing, but I at least understand where you're coming from." He finished, looking at Daniel. Slowly, uncertain blue eyes came up to meet his.

"Why didn't Vala tell me?"

Giving a reluctant smile, Cam stared straight into Daniel's eyes. "I never told her. The only one who knows is Carolyn - and my family of course."

Daniel straightened. "You never told Vala…but you're telling me now?" He looked away, feeling unworthy of knowing it. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to let you know that I understand." Cameron told him with earnest. He stepped closer to Daniel, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I may not have been a junkie or anything, but I… I understand."

"I would think, after your dad, you wouldn't want to deal with…" Daniel sighed. "People like me."

Cam dropped his hand and threw a long look towards the door. "She loves you…" He said quietly. "After Hayden's father walked out, I never thought Vala would find someone like you."

Looking away, Daniel held one hand out past the porch overhang. Rain drops gently pelted his skin, trickling away moments later. "And by me, you mean…"

"You're a good guy, Daniel." Cam admitted. "I've come to see you as a friend in these past few months. I know you love her like she loves you." The stern glare from before returned now in full. "I'm just hoping that love will be enough to keep you sober for many more years to come."

Daniel met the glare with a determined gaze of his own. "It is – it will be. I'm _not_ going back to that stuff." His blue eyes found the door this time. "I won't lose them."

Stepping into Daniel's line of sight, Cam crossed his arms. "I'll hold you to that."

"I'm counting on it."

One of Cam's signature grins appeared. "Good." He clapped Daniel on the back and began leading him back inside. "Now we can sit down and you can tell Caro and me that story."

Daniel let out a deep sigh of relief, and finally let a smile come to his lips. "Okay." He agreed, nodding at Cam. It looked like Vala had been right – all he'd needed to do was put a little faith into Cam and Carolyn to understand. Just like they'd put faith in him to protect and care for Vala.

--

Several hours had passed, and the storming outside had kicked up a notch, by the time Daniel felt he'd confessed everything to Vala's family. He felt emotionally drained, like he could sleep for three days straight, but felt good nonetheless. They had listened and understood, and hadn't freaked out because he'd kept it from them.

Still, he couldn't stop the few tears that slipped down his face.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, trying to wipe the traitorous tears away.

Carolyn smiled softly at him as she handed a few tissues to Vala, who was curled up against Daniel's side. "Don't be…I think we've all shed a few tonight." She flicked a glance towards her husband, who looked away and flushed a little. Carolyn poked him in the side lovingly, and he smiled too. It caused them all to laugh lightly, easing the sad tension out of the room.

A comfortable silence took its place. Cam and Carolyn watched Daniel and Vala cuddle together on the couch across from them, both of them seeing a lot of themselves in the pair. Even after having their children, Carolyn was happy knowing she still had that with her husband…

As her mind drifted over thoughts of the kids, her mommy instincts kicked in. Looking over her shoulder, down the hallway, Carolyn suddenly realized it had grown a little too quiet for a parent's comfort. "They've sure clammed up back there."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Vala said, meeting Carolyn's gaze. They had a silent conversation between them, Cam and Daniel staring on the whole time. Finally, when Vala dropped her head back down to Daniel's chest and snuggled a little closer, Carolyn sighed dramatically.

"Fine!" There was an over exaggerated huff to her voice, but she smiled as she stood. "But if your child is corrupting my innocent angels, you owe me." Carolyn added, tossing a few snotty tissues at her friend.

Vala batted them away, ducking against Daniel for faux protection. "I think you're confused about those spawn of yours!" She retorted loudly, as Carolyn had already made her way out of sight down the hall. The grin their banter had caused slowly faded as Vala shifted her attention to Cam. "What?"

He pulled in a deep breath, looking back and forth between her and Daniel as he spoke. "What are you going to tell Hayden?"

"Nothing." Daniel answered firmly before Vala could even wrap her mind around the concept. She looked up at him, both hurt and unsure at his quick response. It was obvious he'd thought about this _without _discussing it with her. How could she not tell Hayden? Vala was bringing Daniel into their lives, and they both owed it to Hayden by dumping this relationship on her. Besides, Vala had _never_ lied to her daughter before…

Like he was reading her thoughts, Daniel gave her a reassuring squeeze. "At least, not right now. There's no need for her to find out, and she's so young it's not likely she'll understand." His focus shifted between her and Cam, who seemed to be agreeing with what he was saying. "If she asks, we'll tell her the truth. I have no intention of asking you to lie to your daughter."

The angry feelings melted away in her chest, and Vala let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "It's a good plan." She whispered encouragingly. The last thing she wanted was to make Daniel think he was superseding her as the parent. In a lot of ways, Vala already felt like he'd taken on half her work without even blinking an eye.

Daniel smiled and brought her hand up to kiss it. "Good." He murmured back, and Vala could see a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders. She smiled up at him in return, getting lost in the deep blue of his eyes.

On the other couch, Cam tried to be as discreet as possible while the pair practically had eye sex right in front of him. He wasn't sure if he should get up and let them be, or just sit and wait for them to catch on to their audience. Thankfully, he was saved by Carolyn reemerging from the back.

"Girls are asleep…" She started before realizing she'd walked in on their intimate moment. Carolyn stopped when she looked up and saw them looking at her like they'd just come from a trance. She grinned knowingly. "And Brian's hijacked Cassidy's tv and is playing video games." There was a hint of laughter in her voice.

"That's my boy!" Cam grinned, and then frowned as Carolyn moved over to the other couch. "Hey!"

She threw herself onto the cushions, practically sitting on Vala. "Spawn?!" Carolyn growled playfully, nudging her best friend. Vala shoved at her, but was laughing at the same time. Carolyn only continued to 'attack'.

Daniel was a smart enough man to know when to get out of the line of fire, and quickly headed over to the other couch to sit with Cam. Like the men they were, they couldn't help but watch their lovers wrestle, tickle and banter like only best friends could. It seemed that the terrible way their get together had started was all but forgotten.

"So…" Cam started conversationally, tilting his head to the right a little as the girls found an even more interesting position. "When you gonna throw us all together?"

It took a moment for Daniel to realize he didn't understand what Cameron was referring to. "What?" He asked, looking at him with confusion.

"You know, like the families – us and your O'Neill's." He shrugged. "When is the big joining of forces planned?"

Daniel considered his question for a minute, and then grinned. At Cam's own look of confusion, he pulled the cell phone from his pocket and waved it. "Can happen right now if we want it to."

Raising his eyebrows, Cam seemed to be considering the idea. Then he grinned as well, pushing himself up from the couch. "Hell, why not?" He looked at Vala and his wife, who were now doing the whole girly whispery thing and looking at them. "We've already had chick wrestling," He winked at the girls, and then moved off towards the kitchen to snag some beers. "Might as well make it a full out party."

While Vala and Carolyn both chucked pillows at Cameron, Daniel laughed gently and hit the speed dial for Jack. Relaxing back into the couch cushions as it began to ring, his eyes fixed on Vala's. She smiled the simplest and most beautiful smile he'd ever seen, and it made his heart skip a beat.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, they had finally turned a good corner and were on the right track to that future they'd only been dreaming about.

--

**Reviews are definitely appreciated!**


	14. Course of the Future

**So here it is - the 14th and final chapter of Chance on Love. To everyone who has stuck by this story and patiently waited while I struggled with brabbit revolts and strikes for this particular story, I thank you! You guys really are the best and are the reason why I keep stories like these going. I think I found a niche in writing convincable AU DV fics, and it makes me happy that y'all enjoyed this one! I know it's a sad thing to see this story finally come to close, but that doesn't mean this particular AU world will stop with it. My brabbits have already issued forth a request for me to write a follow up! As soon as I get all caught up on my numerous other series and fics, I'll try and get to work on that.**

Oh, and since nobody brought it up, I figured I'd let the cat out of the bag in regards to the chapter titles. All of them are derived from lines from Lord of the Rings that I thought somehow expressed the mood or experiences going on within the chapters. It made it difficult to name each chapter, but I thought it was a fun challenge. And before you ask - no, i did not look any of these lines up. I remembered them without any assistance - all of it came from my fron where vast amounts of LOtR info is stored. If anyone would like me to list the full lines these titles came from, just let me know! XD

Anywho, I'll let you go off and enjoy this perfect ending to Chance on Love!

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**Course of the Future**

Standing a few steps back from the open back porch door, Vala sighed at the sight of her family.

The adults were all piled on the patio furniture, talking amicably and snuggled close like they'd been friends longer then just one year. Cam was lounging back in the same chair she and Daniel had been in the night Jack had come to her house, Sam on the floor between his legs. Jack and Carolyn were on the loveseat, the smaller woman's arms wrapped affectionately around his shoulders. They had harmlessly flirted with one another since their first meeting at the Mitchell house, and of course the jokes that Carolyn was Jack's other wife had followed.

Out on the lawn, the kids were playing some kind of game. Charlie and Hayden had teamed up against the evil Mitchell children, and were defending their territory from invasion. Cam had already fashioned them all armor from paper plates and cups and stick weapons, which played well into their make believe. They were shrieking and giggling and pouting accordingly. Hayden's delighted squeal was especially enjoyable to hear.

It was unbelievable how they all got along so well – like they had always meant to be together like this.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and Vala smiled brightly. She looked up over her right shoulder into his equally smiling face. He had every right to smile today – five years of being clean would warrant such a reaction. That was the reason they were all gathered at her house. They were all celebrating Daniel, and his success in conquering his worst demon for another year.

At least their _family_ was celebrating that – Daniel and Vala, on the other hand, had a whole different reason to be rejoicing.

"Find it?" She asked him.

Daniel leaned down and kissed her softly. "Sure did…" He pulled up and gave her a mock glare. "You didn't make it very easy, though."

Giving him her best innocent look, Vala shrugged. "You're the archaeologist in training, baby. You need experience in finding treasures."

"Yeah, but archaeologists don't need to find their _own_ treasure."

This time, Vala pouted. "Hey, it's mine. You gave it to me, remember…"

Smiling, Daniel nodded in agreement. "That's very true. This treasure _is_ yours." Taking her left hand in his, he gently slipped the ring he'd just hunted down in their bedroom onto her finger. And like the night before, when he'd done it for the first time, his heart raced when it slipped perfectly into place. "My treasure I found stranded in a parking lot."

"Mmmm, yes." Vala turned in his embrace and placed her now adorned hand against his cheek. She leaned up and kissed him deeply, reveling in the fact that she was now one step closer to calling Daniel hers for good. "You'll make a good archaeologist yet."

Daniel leaned in to retake the kiss, lingering slightly longer then she had. "So they tell me…"

A round of laughter drew their attention back to the porch where their family had gathered. Once again pressing his chest snug against her back, Daniel rested his chin on Vala's shoulder.

"Think they know what's coming?" He whispered mischievously.

She grinned her own naughty grin. "Oh, I highly doubt it." Vala moved her head a little to see Daniel's face. "And it's been too long since we shook things up for this family."

Squeezing her gently, Daniel winced dramatically. "We're slipping…" Vala giggled and he smiled again. "Well, fearless leader – lead the way…"

"You're chancing all of this on my lead?" She asked on a whisper, suddenly nervous.

"I took a chance on you to lead me through love…" Daniel whispered back. "And now I more than trust you to lead me through life." He pressed a kiss to her neck, just below her ear. "I love you, my future Mrs. Jackson."

Vala pulled in a deep breath at the title and his words. "Let's do this." She whispered with determination and excitement, leading Daniel out onto the porch with her hand in his. Neither hesitated to look back – there was no need to hesitate anymore. There wasn't any doubt left between them that this was how things had always been meant to be.

They'd both chanced on love, and in the end, love had been Vala and Daniel's winning bet.

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**Again, hope everyone enjoyed it! Reviews are most definitely appreciated!**


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